WACO, Texas (KXXV) — The U.S. Farm Bill, which would give farmers peace of mind and insurance, still has yet to pass.
Congressman Pete Sessions said it should pass in January, and farmers say they are tired of excuses.
Farmers and ranchers across the nation are fed up with excuses from politicians in Washington when it comes to not passing a farm bill.
“Farmers have a hard time understanding why the politicians we send to Washington can’t sit down and figure out something. We can sit at the coffee table and figure it out real quick,"Richard Wells said.
The 2018 farm bill expired in 2023, and now they rely on an extension.
Congressman Sessions met with the Texas Farm Bureau and other agriculture groups on Thursday, but said there is no path forward right now with the divided government.
“There is resistance right now with a split government," Sessions said. "We still have different people making decisions now."
Sessions said a big holdout is the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Debbie Stabenow.
“She wants to spend 100 billion more in agriculture than we do in the House," Sessions said. "There’s a disagreement on spending level.”
Congressman Sessions says there is no known answer at this point.
He says he’s looking to January for answers.
“On January 3rd, there will be Republicans in the House and Senate, and the impediments will dissolve. We’ll get things done quickly on January 3rd," Sessions said.
That is something farmers are deeply hopeful for.
“It provides a safety net more or less like an insurance policy so we can continue to operate and provide the food and fiber for the world,"Rancher Richard Wells said.
Sessions says the new Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, wants badly to have a farm bill done as quickly as possible next year.
