Nov 14, 2018
Secretary of Agriculture expresses optimism on passage of farm bill

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue was in New Jersey on Tuesday, when he toured several farms to hear about concerns and issues growers there are facing.

On the tour, Perdue spoke with reporters and expressed optimism that, now that the midterm elections are over, legislators would pass a new farm bill before the next Congress takes office in January.

“We’re going to get a farm bill, hopefully by the end of the year. These farm programs right now are OK until about December the eighth,” Perdue said. “I’m hoping that Congress, once the elections have been over, will come back and acknowledge we have to come together in the conference committee and get a farm bill.”

The previous bill — the Agriculture Act of 2014 — expired on Sept. 30.

A proposed bill failed in the House earlier this year, as it was universally rejected by Democrats and ultimately voted down when 30 Republicans balked, mostly over immigration reform.