WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says his chamber won't pass an extension of farm policy this year and is pressuring the House to figure out how to pass a farm bill.
The House rejected its version of a five-year, half-trillion-dollar farm bill last week, with 62 Republicans voting no after Speaker John Boehner urged support. The Senate passed its farm bill earlier this month with support from two-thirds of the chamber.
Reid on Monday urged Boehner take up the Senate farm bill before current policy expires Sept. 30.
Both bills expand farm subsidies while saving money overall and making cuts to food stamps. The Senate bill cuts $400 million a year from food stamps, while the House bill cuts $2 billion annually. House conservatives wanted even higher cuts.