Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On House Republicans Breaking With Bipartisan Tradition With Their Partisan Farm Bill

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on MAGA Republicans’ partisan Farm Bill that will not work for American families. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Tomorrow, House Republicans will markup their partisan Farm Bill that, frankly, completely misses the mark.

The Farm Bill should support the farmers who grow our food, it should protect our land, it should invest in jobs for rural communities big and small, to rebuild their economies. The Farm Bill should provide life-saving hunger assistance for the millions of Americans who rely on programs like SNAP.

And it should extend SNAP benefits to our friends in Puerto Rico, who have been excluded from this program for decades and it will expand it to them.

It’s sad to see that rather than working together to get a serious Farm Bill passed, House Republicans are playing games and pushing a one-sided, insufficient, partisan bill. Senate Democrats, on the other hand, have released a Farm Bill proposal that maintains a bipartisan coalition and invests in all of the areas I mentioned. I commend Chair Stabenow for her work.

Let me be clear: a purely partisan Farm Bill that departs from the longstanding spirit of bipartisanship has no future in the Senate. And unfortunately, I might add, this seems to be where this Republican House leadership and party always goes, they always retreat to a corner of partisanship. They're not interested in improving the lives of American people – they’re just interested in scoring political points to a narrow group back home, the MAGA group that seems to have such power in the party. So, I hope that doesn't happen on the Farm Bill. It's always been bipartisan. House Republicans, come on. Wake up. You want to help our farmers? Work together with Democrats and pass a bipartisanship bill.

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