Represenative Collin Peterson of Minnesota, ranking member on the House agriculture committee

Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, ranking member on the House agriculture committee, said, “This budget should be a warning to people in rural America. For years, groups like the Freedom Caucus, Heritage Foundation and Club for Growth have been advocating for these exact policies as part of their goal to completely do away with farm programs. They are now closer to making this a reality than ever before.

“By all accounts this budget is going nowhere on Capitol Hill, but it is still a statement of priorities and should be of concern to all rural Americans. Going down this path all but guarantees there will be no new farm bill.”

Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, ranking member on the Senate agriculture committee

Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, ranking member on the Senate agriculture committee, said, “President Trump’s budget proposal would leave our farmers, families, and rural communities vulnerable in tough times. The proposed cuts to important farm and family safety net programs, including crop insurance and SNAP, are harsh and short sighted. By zeroing out critical funding for rural infrastructure and job-creating programs, the budget proposal neglects the needs of every small town in rural America.

“In the last farm bill, we passed bipartisan reforms that saved taxpayers billions more than expected. If enacted, this proposal would make it nearly impossible for Congress to pass a new farm bill and provide farmers, families, and rural communities with the certainty and support they need. I am also concerned this budget request does not come close to meeting the needs of our financial regulators, like the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. If we are serious about having financial markets that work for our nation's farmers, manufacturers, and consumers, we need a strong, effective cop on the beat.”

Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation

Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), said the administration’s 2018 spending blueprint fails to recognize agriculture’s current financial challenges or its historical contribution to deficit reduction.

“The AFBF and its members are concerned about the federal budget deficit,” Duvall said. “However, we also know that agriculture has done its fair share to help reduce the deficit. Going back to the early 1980s, agriculture often has been targeted to generate budget savings, from the reconciliation bills in the late 1980s and 1990s to farm bill reforms as recently as 2014.”