WASHINGTON — Lawmakers have reached an agreement on the farm bill, a mammoth package that will fund key safety net programs for the next five years.
The conference report signed Monday by members of the House and Senate is the result of months of negotiations. The bill has a price tag of $867 billion over a decade and is expected to be brought to a vote this week in the House, possibly as soon as Wednesday.
The legislation reauthorizes crop insurance and conservation programs and legalizes the cultivation of industrial hemp.
It does not make significant changes to the food stamp program that serves nearly 40 million low-income Americans. President Donald Trump and House Republicans had pushed to create new work requirements for food stamps, but negotiators rejected them.