Today, incoming Senate Agriculture Committee Chair, Debbie Stabenow announces her plans for the year.
She told reporters that she hopes to work in a bipartisan fashion on the committee to promote policies that create economic opportunities for farmers and strengthen diversity in agriculture.
First, the committee will open with a confirmation hearing for Secretary of Agriculture nominee, Tom Vilsack; then, she plans to focus on voluntary, producer driven climate policy and the response to the pandemic, including expanding food and nutrition programs for children.
“Senator Bozeman and I both feel strongly that we need to move forward with the Child Nutrition Bill that is supposed to be reauthorized every five years, but it has not been reauthorized for the last ten years,” Stabenow states. “We are both committed to focusing on a healthy future for our children and access to healthy meals during the school day and summer months, and of course continuing to adjust to what’s happening right now in COVID.”
She says that the committee will also be laying the groundwork for the 2023 Farm Bill legislation by identifying pilot programs that should become permanent programs and reevaluating the safety net for farmers.
