05.22.13

Hoeven: U.S. Senate Defeats Anti-Sugar Amendment to Farm Bill

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Senate has defeated an amendment that would have undermined the sugar program in the Farm Bill.

The amendment proposed to eliminate provisions in the Commodity Title of the bill that level the playing field for American producers. Hoeven said the U.S. sugar industry today supports 142,000 jobs in 22 states, which compete successfully with foreign industries around the world that are heavily subsidized by their governments.

“Retaining the current sugar program in the Farm Bill will ensure stability for sugar beet growers in North Dakota and competitive prices for American consumers and industries across America,” Hoeven said. “It will strengthen an important segment of American agriculture and make for a more effective Farm Bill for the American people.

“We worked in a bipartisan way to defeat an amendment that would have undermined the sugar program, and we need to continue to work in a bipartisan way to pass this farm bill.”