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House Ag Committee says leave ag out of budget cut talks

The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee says Congress should consider the current economic conditions farmers are facing when looking for ways to reduce the federal budget.

Michael Conaway of Texas opened a meeting regarding a Budget Views and Estimates letter sent to the House Budget Committee by saying agriculture has done its duty for now in regard to reducing the deficit, and the other 98 percent of the budget should be looked at first.

The Ag Committee noted in the letter that almost five billion dollars from agricultural policies have been sequestered since 2013, and the 2014 Farm Bill has achieved far greater savings than would’ve been realized had the status quo been maintained.

The letter says the finances of agriculture have changed dramatically since the farm bill debate with commodity prices tumbling, yet the Congressional Budget office January baseline projects the commodity title of the Farm Bill will save taxpayers money.

The Ag Committee letter is also critical of recent calls to cut crop insurance as farmers continue to come under fire for government support.