Following a list of priorities sent to fellow Senators by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, one piece of legislation was left off the table for the remainder of the 2024 session. Senator Chuck Grassley expressed his disappointment that a new farm bill was not included among the list. Grassley believes funding disputes over the purpose of the farm bill are at the center of the debate, and have stonewalled progress on what traditionally has been a bipartisan process.

“A one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill is going to expire on September 30. The Senate must work to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill before that deadline,” Grassley urged Schumer. “Farmers across the United States deserve the stability of a new five-year Farm Bill. A one-year extension increases uncertainty in markets and uncertainty for farmers who must make decisions today that will affect their operations for years to come.”

“The American people have been expecting a new Farm Bill for over six months. Historically, the Farm Bill has been one of the most bipartisan bills that Congress passes,” Grassley continued. “You said that Democrats are, ‘ready to work with [Republicans] to find compromise […].’ So I call on you and the rest of my Democratic colleagues in the Senate to do the hard work of coming to the table to bring forward and pass a bipartisan Farm Bill this year.”