The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee’s piece of the Republican megabill would steer billions of dollars away from climate-related programs that shaped much of farm policy during the Biden administration.
Legislative text released Wednesday would draw as much as $16 billion away from the Inflation Reduction Act’s conservation provisions and redirect those unobligated funds toward long-standing programs, shedding the IRA’s focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions through farmland conservation.
Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) said the measure — which will be wrapped into Republican’s big tax cut and spending bill being considered through budget reconciliation — would cut waste and update farm programs that were last revised in the 2018 farm bill.
“Our farmers and ranchers are facing real challenges, which have been unaddressed for too long,” Boozman said in a news release. “This legislation delivers the risk management tools and updated farm bill safety net they need to keep producing the safest, most abundant and affordable food, fuel, and fiber in the world.”
