Westbrook, MAINE - Today, as the House Agriculture Committee begins to mark up the 2018 farm bill, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) published an op-ed in Civil Eats outlining her concerns about the bill's unnecessary and harmful cuts to the SNAP program, local and regional food programs, and conservation programs, as well as the the secretive, partisan process in which the bill was drafted.

Still, the Congresswoman remains hopeful about the process going forward.

“My hope is that this draft doesn’t see the light of day, and that we instead focus on extending existing programs before the current farm bill expires on September 30 so that there is no lapse in funding,” Congresswoman Pingree wrote. “Our communities deserve a better farm bill—one that helps to alleviate hunger, promotes growing agricultural markets, and encourages environmental stewardship.”

To read the complete op-ed, click HERE.

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