Senator Tommy Tuberville from Alabama urged new lawmakers to push for more help for farmers in future bills.
He shared on social media, It took a last-minute vote to provide farmers with some support after we lost 150,000 family farms in recent years under Democratic leadership.
I’m glad we finally got some economic help for farmers, but we need to make them a priority next year by passing a Farm Bill that focuses on them, not food stamps.
Every five years, Congress reauthorizes the Farm Bill, which includes funding for food stamps (SNAP). SNAP helps low-income people buy food, and its benefits can be used at farmers’ markets, supporting local agriculture and giving people access to fresh food.
Between 2014 and 2018, SNAP lifted about 144,000 people out of poverty in Alabama, including 65,000 children, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
But Tuberville, a representative for Alabama, argued that lawmakers should focus more on supporting farmers in the Farm Bill, rather than just relying on federal programs like food stamps.
His comments came after a debate over farmer aid added to the government’s end-of-year spending package. Many Republican lawmakers said farmers needed more support.
The bill, approved on Friday and signed by President Biden on Saturday, includes $10 billion for direct farmer aid and $21 billion for disaster assistance. Livestock producers will receive $2 billion of that disaster aid.