Farmers and ranchers have been waiting for the U.S. House and Senate to agree on the 2018 Farm Bill, thus giving them a five-year extension of federal farm programs.
Last week, Ranking Democrat of the House Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson of Minnesota, predicted the farm bill would be considered this week, with House consideration possible Wednesday the Senate on Thursday.
The cost of the bill has been in question, as reports note the latest holdup is due the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) going through figures presented to them. But reports have shown nearly 80 percent of the cost of the farm bill goes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), another issue that needed hammered out between the House and Senate versions.
According to the Washington Post, no one quite knows what the ultimate cost of the farm bill will be, though earlier versions have it at $870 billion-plus over 10 years, that according to the CBO. But farm bill negotiators said it has taken longer to finish the bill due to the cost estimates and legislative text.