Earlier today, the U.S House of Representatives passed a long-term highway funding bill that includes a provision to restore $3 billion in cuts to the budget baseline of the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP). Despite strong objection from many agriculture groups and Agriculture Committee leadership in both chambers, the 2015 bipartisan budget agreement negotiated and passed last month included language to cut the FCIP.

As soon as the Big “I” learned of the budget reductions, the association launched an extensive grassroots campaign and worked with its state associations to urge Congress to repeal the devastating funding cuts. The nationwide grassroots launch complemented numerous crop insurance coalition meetings Big “I” government affairs staff conducted on Capitol Hill . This two-pronged strategy helped foster negotiations to reverse the cuts.

Initially, the plan was to reverse the cuts in one of the end-of-year spending packages Congress was considering. But instead, a decision was made to restore the FCIP funds via the highway funding bill, which provides greater certainty that the cuts would be undone. At press time, the highway funding bill is scheduled for consideration in the U.S. Senate before the expiration of the current highway funding bill at midnight tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 4. President Obama is expected to sign this legislation quickly.

The reversal of this cut would mark a tremendous victory for both the FCIP and the Big “I” and its grassroots advocacy. The association has always been a strong supporter of the FCIP and played an integral role in the negotiation of the 2014 Farm Bill, which strengthened the crop program and the role of independent agents as the sole sales force of the FCIP. 

Jen McPhillips is Big “I” senior director of federal government affairs.