Agriculture is a $1 billion industry in Alabama that provides thousands of jobs to hard-working men and women across the state.

Supporting the health of Alabama’s agriculture economy and family farms is the Farm Bill, a critical piece of legislation with far-reaching impacts across East Alabama.

Rogers, a member of the Agriculture Committee, said today Congress should work quickly to get the Farm Bill passed given its importance to our economy. The Farm Bill authorizes key agriculture, research and nutrition programs. 

“Congress needs to help our agriculture-based economy grow, and one of the best ways to do that is to pass the Farm Bill. My colleagues and I on the House Agriculture Committee crafted a good bill that not only provides much-needed spending cuts and reforms, but also gives certainty to a vital American job-creator -- the Agriculture sector,” said Rogers. 

Rogers said the bill cuts spending in a fiscally responsible manner. This legislation includes the first substantive reforms since the 1996 Welfare Reform Act to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), more commonly known as Food Stamps. This program has doubled in size since 2008. The new Farm Bill should slow SNAP spending and begin critically needed reforms. 

The House of Representatives is expected to debate the legislation in June. Rogers serves as Chairman of the Strategic Forces subcommittee on the Armed Services Committee and is also a senior member of the Homeland Security and Agriculture committees. 

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