Sen. Bernie Sanders
Rep. Peter WelchMONTPELIER, Vt. -
Vermont's U.S. senators are touting the new farm bill and a program they say will help dairy farmers stay in business.
The Senate bill includes new dairy provisions aimed at stabilizing milk prices by creating a federally subsidized margin insurance program. The voluntary program allows farmers to select the margin between production cost and the price of milk to insure. This new provision replaces the milk income loss subsidy program. The Vermont delegation says this new program will save taxpayers $23 million by eliminating direct payments to farmers. But they opposed the bill's $4.5 billion cut to the food stamps program and the elimination of a provision that would have required genetically modified foods to be labeled.
"Overall I think the bill is a good bill. It's a strong bill and given the nature of Senate politics in America today, it is a good step forward," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont.
"It's going to be attacked. Mr. Goodlatte from Virginia has an amendment to get rid of the market stabilization program and we've got to fight that back. So job number one for me and my colleagues will be to resist that effort to strip the ag bill of that absolutely crucial market stabilization piece," said Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vermont.
Although Welch says he anticipates a fight in the House, he's optimistic he can save the dairy insurance program from the chopping block.
