The US Senate by a vote of 75 to 22 on June 6 invoked cloture on S. 954, the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013, the Senate’s farm bill.
The vote ended debate on the legislation and opened the way for a final vote, which was expected soon. The bill was similar to the farm legislation passed by the full Senate last year, and the current measure was expected to pass as well. The bill’s reforms include ending direct payments to producers and lowering the acreage cap on the Conservation Reserve Program. The bill also would trim spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by ending “fraud and abuse.”
The House of Representatives was expected to debate the farm bill passed by the House Committee on Agriculture this summer. It was hoped a final bill would presented to the president before the August recess.
