13th District Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski voted with moderate Republicans and the Democrat minority in the House of Representatives to pass an extension to the 2018 Farm Bill this week.
The fate of the Farm Bill has remained uncertain since its expiration at the end of September until Speaker of the House Mike Johnson included an extension of the current Farm Bill through September 2024 in the continuing resolution on Wednesday.
Budzinski says she’s taking the continuing resolution in stride: “[Tuesday], I joined colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass a bipartisan resolution that will fully fund the federal government through January 19th and extend critical Farm Bill programs for one year. While I’m relieved that we will be avoiding a government shutdown for the time being, it’s critical that my colleagues in the Majority stop moving the goalposts and bring forward a bipartisan funding package for 2024. We also owe it to family farmers across the country to get down to business on a bipartisan Farm Bill that feeds and fuels America, drives innovation and helps the next generation get into agriculture. I’ll keep pushing my colleagues to get the job done.”
In a video to followers later in the day, Budzinski says it’s an important first step in protecting commodities, farmers, research programs, and nutrition programs. Budzinski says the negative in the continued resolution is that Congress hasn’t been able to reauthorize a bipartisan Farm Bill in the allotted time: “I’m going to continue to work on everything, making sure we are doing everything we can to work on a bipartisan basis once this extension expires in making sure we are protecting our family farmers; we’re making sure we are protecting our nutrition programs; protecting conservation; and doing everything we can to get a really good bipartisan Farm Bill done after the extension concludes.”
Leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees brokered the deal to extend the farm bill through Sept. 30, 2024. Democratic and Republican negotiators decided to fund all the roughly 20 farm bill programs that will need extra money to stay afloat in the coming year. After the extension runs out, a new farm bill faces steep opposition as many Republicans want to make cuts to nutrition program, which has been a non-starter in most negotiations with Democrats.