Washington, D.C.— In response to the House and Senate releasing their contrasting 2024 Farm Bill proposals today, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) issued the following statement from Healthy Communities Program Director, Madeleine Foote:

“Today’s proposals in the House and Senate for moving forward on the 2024 Farm Bill could not be more different. We applaud Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow for her Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act that prioritizes the needs of our farmers and our families by preserving the Inflation Reduction Act’s climate-smart agriculture funding to ensure farmers can be part of the climate solution. We also commend Chairwoman Stabenow for her long-standing leadership and for bringing together so many stakeholders to collaboratively craft this bill.

Meanwhile, House Agriculture Committee Chair GT Thompson caved to the demands of extreme MAGA Republicans who are not serious about working in a bipartisan way to protect our farmers, communities, and environment. The proposal from the Republican-led House would strip money from climate-smart agricultural practices and conservation programs that are already oversubscribed, even after the increased investments from Inflation Reduction Act, taking money out of the hands of farmers who want to leave a better environment and a more sustainable food system to feed our families for generations to come.

As the House majority moves to mark up its 2024 Farm Bill later this month, we urge them and their Republican counterparts in the Senate to move forward a bill that reflects Chair Stabenow’s popular vision of an agricultural system that truly benefits farmers, our climate, and our families.”

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