August 21, 2017

Duckworth Discusses Agricultural Priorities with Illinois Farm Bureau

 

[BLOOMINGTON, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met with members of the Illinois Farm Bureau Wednesday to discuss agricultural priorities and the important role Illinois farmers and ranchers play in both the state and national economies. Duckworth also highlighted the negative impact of President Trump's proposed budget cuts to rural development. A photo of the meeting is available here.

"I was glad to meet with the Illinois Farm Bureau to hear directly from Illinois farmers about key issues they're facing," Duckworth said. "We know the strength of America's farmers is a reflection of the strength of our state and nation, but President Trump's budget would slash critical funding and devastate rural communities, businesses, farmers and families. I'll keep working to ensure our farmers have access to the resources they need to support our nation's food supply, fuel our cars and grow our economy."

President Trump's budget makes over $231 billion in cuts to critical United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Farm Bill programs, which Americans in rural communities rely on to improve access to clean drinking water, promote public safety and support their children. It would also close the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) that supports more than 200 jobs in Peoria, eliminate the Rural Economic Development Program that helps rural businesses create jobs, reduce Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) assistance for working families by more than 25 percent and make crop insurance more expensive for Illinois farmers.