Senate Passes Massive $867 Billion Farm Bill, Now Headed To The House

The mammoth package will fund key farm safety net programs for the next five years

WASHINGTON — The Senate has passed a massive new farm bill and it’s now headed to the House.

The measure bears a price tag of $867 billion over 10 years.

The bill passed in the Senate on a bipartisan vote of 87-13.

The mammoth package will fund key farm safety net programs for the next five years without making significant changes to the SNAP program, formally called food stamps, that serves nearly 40 million low-income Americans.

The agreement is the result of months of negotiations to reconcile conflicting versions of the bill.

“And it’s a strong farm bill,” said North Dakota Republican Senator John Hoeven.

“We worked to take the best features of the Senate bill and the House bill and put it together. I think by and large we were able to do that and we have a farm bill that’s good for our farmers and ranchers in North Dakota and our farmers and ranchers across the country.”

The bill now goes to the House for final passage.