Senate Democrats look to combat ‘big ag’ abuses as lawmakers negotiate new farm bill

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on a new farm bill, which would be the first full farm bill passed since 2018. The legislation has drawn bipartisan support.

Luke J. Lindberg, USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, said the bill sets the framework for how agriculture functions in the country.

“The Farm Bill is really the set of curbs and gutters by which agriculture operates in the United States,” Lindberg said. “It’s typically a five-year bill that outlines here’s, roughly speaking, what the policies are going to look like.”

Tariffs have increased production costs on farms and reduced export demand.

On Thursday, the Economics Liberty Project hosted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democratic lawmakers.

Schumer said Republican policies have hurt farmers and that Democrats have a plan to address big business in the agriculture industry, investigate price gouging and take on foreign conglomerates.

“It is time for Congress to do what progressives of eras past did so well, take action to break the monopoly powers, bring the costs down through competition,” Schumer said.

Schumer said the farm bill needs to focus on affordability for consumers as well as farmers.

“Anxiety and worry dominate our kitchen tables. Families agonize amongst themselves about which bills they can pay. This month and today, things have gotten so bad that a trip to the grocery store can bring worry and strife to a whole lot of families,” Schumer said.

Lindberg said the administration is working to ensure food prices remain accessible.

“The president’s been abundantly clear that he wants folks to be able to purchase high quality, nutritious food at a fair price at the grocery store,” he said. “And so we continue to work alongside our partners across the US Department of Agriculture and across the U.S. government to make sure those price deliveries are coming in at affordable prices.”