Senator Pat Roberts ( USDA Flickr Photo by Bob Nichols)HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Kansas U.S. Senator Pat Roberts says the food assistance program is the "redline" for Democrats in the passage of the farm bill. He says his is crop insurance. The Republican senator told farm leaders yesterday (SAT) that the Senate will not pass a farm bill without what it sees as an "appropriate" food assistance program, commonly known as food stamps.
The House version stripped food assistance from the farm bill. The House has not yet passed the food assistance program. That needs to be done before lawmakers can hammer out a conference compromise. Both farm bill versions safeguard the nation's crop insurance program.
Meanwhile, Senator Jerry Moran says the country's focus on Syria is delaying the farm bill debate. The current extension expires at the end of this month.