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WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (TX-36) released the following statement after the passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (H.R. 2), commonly known as the farm bill. Dr. Babin voted for this bill which now awaits President Trump’s signature to become law.

“I’m glad the House and Senate were able to come together to pass a compromise farm bill. The certainty this bill provides our farmers will enable them to plan for multiple crop cycles in the coming years. That certainty is necessary both for the livelihood of our farmers and to secure a dependable supply of food, fiber, and feed for our nation. I’m particularly pleased this bill has improvements which will benefit Texas rice and soybean farmers and timber growers.

“While I’m pleased with the commodity, crop insurance, and conservation titles in the farm bill, which will be welcomed by farmers in Southeast Texas, Congress must show a renewed commitment towards ensuring that taxpayer dollars go to those who truly need them and our country’s safety net is not abused at the expense of our agricultural programs. I’m disappointed that Congress missed the best opportunity in decades to make significant reforms to a bill that allocates more than 80 percent of its funding to food stamps. Without the commonsense reforms included in the original version of the House-passed farm bill, funds that could go towards securing our agricultural safety net will continue to go to the SNAP program, which has ballooned in recent years even as our economy has markedly improved. Fortunately, the Administration and USDA will have authority to enact some limited safeguards to strengthen the integrity of our SNAP program.”