Despite continued pressure from agricultural organizations and farmers to pass the Farm Bill, last night’s State of the Union speech merely mentioned farmers and agriculture.
The president’s speech, which kicked off the 2024 presidential election campaign, wasted no time in drawing a contrast with his potential 2024 presidential rival, former President Donald Trump.
The State of the Union did touch on how he’d improved the lives of U.S. farmers in a brief but bold pause.
Biden praised Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, saying that his policies are “providing affordable high-speed internet for every American no matter where you live. Urban, suburban, and rural communities — in red states and blue states. Record investments in tribal communities.”
“Because of my investments, family farms, my secretary of agriculture knows more about this than anybody I know, are better able to stay in the family and their children and grandchildren won’t have to leave home to make a living. It’s transformative,” said the president.
“Supposedly, there are programs that promote keeping farms within families and are ‘transformative,’ yet we have not seen them. This is not a slight to the current congress or the president. We understand policy takes time,” One Reddit user from Hashknife Ranch in Montana stated in a thread that is now locked, “However, the question is, ‘How?’ If you refer to the take of ‘Creating jobs …’ you will understand where there is a disconnect. We see no incentive to continue family farms and ranches. The younger generations continue to walk away because they cannot afford to continue this endeavor.”
WHAT THE STATE OF THE 2024 UNION MEANS FOR AGRICULTURE
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The National Association of Wheat Growers responded, noting the missed opportunity by the president to advocate for the Farm Bill.
“While the president addressed many issues of importance to the American people — such as inflation, food prices, and food security — the costs of on-farm inputs and equipment remain high and concern many farmers,” said Chandler Goule, CEO of NAWG. “Currently, we are operating under a one-year farm bill extension, and coming off NAWG’s annual meeting, passing a long-term farm bill that supports farmers is one of our priorities and is at the top of our wheat growers’ minds.”
Biden’s speech leaned heavily on politics rather than policy, glancing over a long list of legislation, while highlighting the war in Gaza and the need for humanitarian aid, a pier on the Gaza coast, calling on Congress to pass a bill sponsored by Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.) to stop “shrinkflation” in food packaging.
“Tonight, I’m directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the Gaza coast that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters,” Biden said. “No U.S. boots will be on the ground. This temporary pier would enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day.”
Regarding inflation and the economy, Biden addressed corporations raising prices to pad profits, charging more for less, and referencing a bill sponsored by Pennsylvania Senator Bobby Casey to regulate “shrinkflation.”
In a news release, Leslie Sarasin, president and CEO of the Food Industry Association, said, “The food industry continues to face headwinds and economic hurdles, such as persistently high labor costs, ever-increasing interchange fees for credit card payments, fees our pharmacies pay on every prescription to pharmacy benefit managers, and an increasingly burdensome regulatory framework.”
Biden also stated that he would not “demonize immigrants saying they ‘poison the blood of our country’ as he [Trump] said in his own words.”
Biden said that from his first day in office, he had introduced a comprehensive plan to fix the immigration system, secure the border, and provide a pathway to citizenship.
“We can fight about the border, or we can fix it. I’m ready to fix it. Send me the border bill now!” he proclaimed.
The president also touched on climate change, saying, “We are also making history by confronting the climate crisis, not denying it.”
Addressing trade deficits with China, he also noted that “China is down to the lowest point in over a decade; we’re standing up against China’s unfair economic practices. We want competition with China, but not conflict.”
“I know the American story,” quipped Biden as he began wrapping up his speech. “Again and again. I’ve seen the contest between competing forces in the battle for the soul of our nation.”
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