WASHINGTON (AP) The Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday for a sweeping agriculture bill that will fund key farm safety net programs for the next five years without making significant changes to the food stamp program.
The vote was 87-13. The House is expected to pass the measure and send it to President Trump for his signature.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell brought the bill up for a quick vote Tuesday, less than one day after the House and Senate reached an agreement on the final text.
The measure is the result of months of negotiations, and does not make any significant changes despite pressure from President Donald Trump to the food stamp program that serves nearly 40 million low-income Americans.
This is what happens when the Congress works in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion, said Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., ahead of the vote. Its a good bill that accomplishes what we set out to do: provide certainty and predictability for farmers and families in rural communities.
The legislation sets federal agricultural and food policy for five years and provides more than $400 billion in farm subsidies, conservation programs and food aid for the poor. It reauthorizes crop insurance and conservation programs and funds trade programs, bioenergy production and organic farming research. It also reduces the cost for struggling dairy producers to sign up for support programs.
