{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.smith.senate.gov/sen-tina-smiths-statement-on-agriculture-committees-second-partisan-markup-of-long-delayed-farm-bill/", "Sen. Tina Smith\u2019s Statement on Agriculture Committee\u2019s Second Partisan Markup of Long-Delayed Farm Bill", "2026-09-16", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "The partisan legislation forces Minnesotans to pay $140 million in administrative costs, fails to address SNAP cuts\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after the Senate Agriculture Committee failed to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill, instead choosing to pass a partisan version drafted by Republicans that will not gain enough support to pass the full Senate:\n\n\u201cI said it before and I\u2019ll say it again, patience is a virtue, it\u2019s just not my virtue. I\u2019m disappointed that, once again, Republicans have pursued a partisan path on the Senate Farm Bill; however, we\u2019ll keep working to find a path forward. It\u2019s crucial that we pass a bipartisan Farm Bill that meets the needs of farmers, ranchers and rural America, including year-round E15,\u201d said Sen. Smith.\n\n\u201cWe have been clear for months that it is not possible to pass a Farm Bill that fails to delay the deep cuts to SNAP by at least two years. Minnesota counties simply can\u2019t afford a $140 million tax increase to pay for these SNAP cost shifts,\u201d she continued. \u201cAmid shrinking markets, tariffs and skyrocketing costs for diesel and fertilizer, farmers need Congress to negotiate a comprehensive, bipartisan Farm Bill that stands a chance of becoming law.\u201d\n\nSen. Smith, along with her Democratic colleagues, were clear that they could not support a Farm Bill that did not delay the cost-shift of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by at least two years. Without this delay, counties would be forced to increase property taxes to cover the costs of administering the program, which most Minnesotans could not afford. Senate Republicans went forward with the bill, knowing that without a provision addressing SNAP, the bill will fail to pass the full Senate.\n\nThe Senate Agriculture Committee already held a markup of the Farm Bill in August. During the failed August markup, Democrats offered an amendment to delay the SNAP cost shift by two years, but it was blocked by Republicans. Sen. Smith pushed for multiple amendments to the legislation, including amendments that would:\n\nAllow for year-round sale of E-15\n\nExpand Tribal self-determination authority for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations\n\nEstablish self-determination authority for Tribal meat processing\n\nRestore canceled Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants, which is particularly important for recipients who spent money preparing their operation for projects that the federal government had already committed to\n\nProhibit prediction markets from offering sports betting and casino-like games that violate state and Tribal regulations\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-17T09:52:05Z", "2026-09-17T09:53:00Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/sen-tina-smiths-statement-on-agriculture-committees-second-partisan-markup-of-long-delayed-farm-bill/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9400979615747929, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}