Articles

Congressman Doc Hastings (R-WA) released the following statement on the final five-year Farm Bill, which passed the House of Representatives today with strong bipartisan support:

“I supported this final Farm Bill, which eliminates or consolidates more than 100 programs and saves American taxpayers $23 billion of their hard-earned money. This legislation continues the important investments in agricultural research, specialty crops, pest management, and trade promotion programs that are critical to ensuring that Central Washington’s farmers can continue to compete in a global marketplace. While more can certainly be done, I’m encouraged that this bipartisan bill makes the largest reforms to farm and nutrition assistance programs in U.S. history. It took a lot of hard work to reach this point, but I’m pleased to join my colleagues today in passing this five-year bill that gives our hardworking farmers and ranchers the certainty they deserve.”

The legislation fully funds the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, which provides funding for vital services in counties containing federal lands. The bill requires states to verify federal benefits are not going to deceased individuals and that beneficiaries are not receiving benefits from more than one state. It also closes an abusive loophole that allows states, like Washington, to mail $1 heating assistance checks to thousands of residents so that they can automatically qualify for federal programs. The legislation now heads to the U.S. Senate this week for final approval and then to the president’s desk for his signature.