OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – The farm bill expired in September.
It includes food aid for struggling families and subsidies for farmers. If its benefits run out at the end of the year, it could mean higher prices at the grocery store.
That’s on the minds of Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer and her opponent, Independent Dan Osborn.
“They’re kicking the can down the road with the farm bill,” Osborn said. “That expired Sept. 30, came and went, and now we’re on extension from 2018. Our farmers are losing money.”
Osborn called the crop insurance price references “outdated,” and said they need to be adjusted for inflation.
Fischer; who sits on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee; said it’s still possible to get something done on the farm bill after the election. But she added that Republicans want to see it check several boxes.
“We have to have a disaster aid process where it moves forward at a quicker rate instead of taking two years or more,” she said. “Somebody could lose their farm if they wait two years or more to get that disaster aid.”
She said she would settle for another one-year extension on the bill.
On the topic of disaster recovery, Nebraska is among several states that suffered extensive storm damage this year.
Shortly before hurricanes Helene and Milton hit the east coast, Congress passed a temporary measure replenishing FEMA’s disaster recovery fund.
However, Fischer voted against it because of what she calls a “broken system” in the Senate.
“Before I was on the committee, for six years, there were no public hearings, there was no action taken by members of the committee,” Fischer said. “It was four people in a room who decided how our taxpayer dollars were going to be spent. They decided what programs they were going to fund.”
Osborn agrees, to an extent.
“If a system is broken, to keep funding it would be a mistake,” he said. “But in the short term, especially in the lieu of the storms, people are suffering and people need help and they need help now.”
Fischer said lawmakers will have time to help FEMA with what it needs when they return to the Senate after the election.
The war between Israel and Hamas militants has recently expanded into Lebanon and Iran.
Both candidates support backing Israel in the conflict.
The U.S. recently deployed troops to Israel. 6 News asked both candidates if they think it’s appropriate for them fight in the war.
“As to sending our troops in—sending our troops anywhere—I would have to be thoroughly convinced that that was necessary before I would ever, ever vote to send our young men and women into harm’s way,” Fischer said.
“Currently, no,” Osborn said.
6 News asked him if that would change in the future.
“I would have to say I don’t know that I could ever support that,” he said.
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