Farm Bill Talks on Hold

At the request of his colleagues, Representative Collin C. Peterson stopped Farm Bill negotiations until House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conway provides Democrats with the draft text of the Farm Bill and the Congressional Budget Office cost estimates and impact assessments. Disagreement over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is partly to blame – as Democrats have made it clear that they oppose the language for SNAP, as it has been described to them and reported in the press. Although Chairman Conway hoped to release a bipartisan proposal last week, it was put on hold to gain support from several committee Democrats. These recent developments are likely to delay committee action until negotiations can start again between the committee Democrats and Republicans.