{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.welch.senate.gov/after-senate-republicans-block-welchs-amendments-welch-votes-against-partisan-farm-bill-in-committee/", "After\u00a0Senate\u00a0Republicans Block\u00a0Welch\u2019s Amendments, Welch\u00a0Votes Against\u00a0Partisan\u00a0Farm Bill\u00a0in Committee", "2026-08-06", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "Welch offered 42 amendments to better support small and family farms, strengthen rural communities, improve access to nutrition\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, today joined all Democrats on the Committee in voting against advancing Senate Republicans\u2019 Farm Bill. The bill failed to advance out of the Committee.\n\nHistorically, Republicans and Democrats on the Agriculture Committee have worked together to craft a bipartisan Farm Bill. The Farm Bill has not been fully reauthorized since 2018. This year, Senate Republicans on the Agriculture Committee drafted a partisan bill that does not address the needs of Vermont\u2019s small and family farmers, does little to address the devastating cuts to SNAP and nutrition assistance programs in Republicans\u2019 tax bill, and fails to invest in rural communities.\n\n\u201cThe serious question that we are grappling with, and we don\u2019t have all the tools we need to do it, is the reality that American agriculture is really in crisis. Our farmers are creating an immense amount of wealth, they\u2019re just not getting any of it. I saw a graph from the Secretary of Agriculture showing that for 11 major commodity crops it costs more to plant and harvest than the revenue that our farmers get. That is not a sustainable situation. And that\u2019s the existential challenge that I think we have in this committee: to restore the vitality of American agriculture,\u201d Senator Welch said in the Agriculture Committee markup.\n\n\u201cSenate Republicans\u2019 Farm Bill failed to meet the moment. I\u2019m hopeful we can come to the table in good faith to make substantial changes to this Farm Bill, and work together in a bipartisan way to make a real difference for rural America,\u201d Welch said after the bill failed.\n\nWatch Senator Welch\u2019s remarks in Committee below:\n\nSenator Welch filed 42 amendments to improve Senate Republicans\u2019 Farm Bill. Two were called for a vote and blocked by Republicans on the Committee. Senator Welch\u2019s proposed changes to the bill include measures to better support small and family farms, strengthen rural communities, reform farm subsidy programs, and improve access to nutrition. Senator Welch\u2019s proposed amendments to the Farm Bill included measures to:\n\nBetter Support Vermont Farmers:\n\nHalt the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s (USDA) reorganization plan\n\nCut red tape for small-scale meat producers in rural communities\n\nImprove access to farm loans and credit\n\nProvide free access to the Dairy Margin Coverage Program (DMC) for eligible producers\n\nImprove data collection for organic dairy farmers\n\nExpand eligibility and access to conservation programs\n\nHelp eliminate barriers for farmers entering the organics market\n\nStrengthen Rural Communities:\n\nImprove rural broadband buildout and speed standards\n\nLower energy costs for rural communities\n\nCombat the threat of invasive species\n\nEstablish national and regional agroforestry centers\n\nProvide multi-year flexible grants to rural communities\n\nStrike the Farm Bill\u2019s E15 language, which is bad for dairy and specialty crop farmers, bad for the environment, and could raise food costs for families\n\nReform Farm Subsidy and Crop Insurance Programs:\n\nEnsure taxpayer-provided aid makes it into the hands of actual farmers\n\nImprove record-keeping requirements for farm subsidies\n\nDevelop a crop insurance product for specialty crop and diversified farms facing extreme weather events\n\nImprove Access to Nutrition:\n\nIncrease funding for the Farm to School nutrition program and support initiatives that deliver fresh, local foods to schools nationwide\n\nCut red tape for SNAP applicants\n\nImprove USDA\u2019s Food for Peace program\n\nView all of Senator Welch\u2019s amendments to the Farm Bill.\n\nThe Committee meeting will remain open for continued discussions on the Farm Bill.\n\nSenator Welch is the Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit. Learn more about Senator Welch\u2019s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-07T06:11:19Z", "2026-08-07T06:12:42Z"]], "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.welch.senate.gov/after-senate-republicans-block-welchs-amendments-welch-votes-against-partisan-farm-bill-in-committee/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0309619829058647, "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"}