03.16.17

Hoeven: Budget Proposal Does Not Work for Agriculture

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, chairman of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, today issued the following statement in response to the president’s proposed budget:

“The president’s proposed budget reduction for agriculture does not work. Given the challenging times in the farm patch – from low commodity prices to natural disasters – we need to prioritize and maintain our agriculture budget. While we support more funding for our military and defense, we must maintain support for our farmers and ranchers.

“Additionally, it is unfair to the nation’s farmers and ranchers to require additional savings after the current farm bill reduced spending. When passed in 2014, the farm bill was calculated to save more than $23 billion, and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the farm bill will actually save $104 billion over 10 years. Our producers are doing their part to reduce the debt and deficit.”

“As chairman of Ag Appropriations, I’ll work to ensure that we maintain our agriculture budget because good agriculture policy benefits every American, every day. Our farmers and ranchers provide the American people with a reliable, affordable and high-quality food supply. Not only that, but 17 million Americans are employed in the agriculture industry, which also provides our nation with a positive balance of trade.” 

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