WASHINGTON, D.C. – On October 10, Congressman Andy Barr today was joined by fellow Kentucky Representatives Brett Guthrie and Ed Whitfield to call on House Speaker John Boehner to assign farm bill conferees from the House of Representatives to meet with Senate conferees so a bi-cameral agreement on a new long-term farm bill can be reached.
“The United States is home to over 2.2 million farms. About 97 percent of U.S. farms are operated by families,” stated Barr, Whitfield, and Guthrie in their letter to Speaker Boehner. “It is hard for these families to have the stability and certainty needed to run their farms without a long-term farm bill. That is why reaching an agreement is so important. At the same time, a long-term farm bill will save taxpayers’ money by streamlining programs and eliminating those that are outdated.”
The trio acknowledges the ongoing government shutdown in their letter to Boehner. They argue that Congress can be working on passing a long term farm bill as they await an agreement to be made between the House and Senate to end the government shutdown.
“As we are all aware, the United States Congress is at odds over the terms of the continuing resolution needed to fund the federal government. While it is disappointing that there is not much progressing on this front, it creates an opportunity for us to get a final long-term farm bill passed and signed into law.”
Click here to read the full letter.
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