Big spending cuts for farm bill - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

Ohio lawmakers are pushing for Congress to pass new policies when it comes to US agriculture.
A House committee just approved its version of the so-called farm bill.

Senator Sherrod Brown is urging his colleagues in the House of Representatives to vote on its version of the farm bill as soon as possible. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, brown took part in the markup of the senate's version, which passed with bipartisan support in June.

The Senate bill cuts spending by $23 billion, eliminates direct payments to farmers for crops they're not growing, and strengthens crop insurance.
 According to Brown, "We took care of rural development in a particularly important way that matters to Northwest Ohio."

Republican Congressman Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania sits on the House Ag committee.    He says the House's bill cuts spending even more $35 billion.  Almost half of that are cuts to the supplemental nutrition assistance program  -- Food Stamps.
 
Rep. Glenn Thompson says,  "We eliminated some of the areas of abuse and misuse, anyone who's truly in need of Food Stamps will get it."

Sen.  Brown says,  "There are a lot of people in rural America and in inner-city America and suburbs who are hurting now and need that little bit of food assistance that this gives them."

Lawmakers from both chambers hope to work out their differences in a conference committee.  
 But before that happens, the House needs to act.

 Some lawmakers hope the House will vote on its version of the farm bill in the next few weeks before Congress leaves for August recess.  Then, both sides could work on final passage in September, as the current farm bill is set to expire on September 30.