An update from our partners the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition:
The House of Representatives is poised to take a giant step backwards this week – away from the kind of future we want for our food and farms and toward unlimited subsidies for mega-farms and corporate agri-business and reduced investments in sustainable farming.
With your help last month we made some big progress in getting farm policy back on track in the Senate and now it’s time to ensure the House of Representatives does the same. An amendment with common-sense, long-overdue farm subsidy reforms is on the table right now. Rep. Fortenberry’s (R-NE) amendment #93 puts a cap on commodity subsidy payments and closes loopholes that allow mega-farms to collect unlimited payments. The House begins its floor vote today, and your representative needs to hear from you!
Calling is easy – just dial the number for your representative* and leave a message like this one below with the person who answers the phone (if your Representative is already an amendment sponsor, make your call a thank you call!):
Hello, my name is ___ and I’m a constituent and a voter (and tell them if you’re a farmer!). I would like to leave a message for Representative ___’s agriculture staffer. The message is: I urge the Representative to support Fortenberry’s #93 amendment during farm bill floor debate this week. Congress needs to get our farm policy back on track by reforming subsidies and investing in a more sustainable future. Thank you.
Unfortunately, in addition to the Fortenberry amendment, a host of bad amendments also made their way to the floor. We’ll keep you posted as we hear more from our partners in D.C. on how to keep the pressure up for a farm bill that truly benefits all.
*To find your representative, click here. Then call (202)225-3121 for the U.S. House switchboard operator.
