At a time of partisan division, the bill has a significant amount of support from both parties in the House, with Representatives Rob Bresnahan (R-Pennsylvania), David Valadao (R-California), and Josh Riley (D-New York) co-sponsoring the introduction. The bill has also been endorsed by a long list of leading hunger and farm groups, including Feeding America, the National Farmers Union, and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC).

“This program strengthens local economies by creating stable markets for regional producers, while ensuring that nutritious food reaches families in need. It’s a commonsense investment,” Hannah Smith-Brubaker, executive director of Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, said in an NSAC press release. Pasa has been hit hard by USDA funding cuts over the last several months.

Despite support for the Local Farmers Feeding our Communities Act, its fate is uncertain. The bill is one of several introduced in the last few weeks that would theoretically be attached to an upcoming farm bill, including other Pingree bills introduced this week on food date labeling and biochar.

Republicans have said they want to pass a slimmed-down version of a farm bill this fall. However, the bipartisan coalition of groups needed to pass the wide-ranging legislation has been fractured since Republicans passed their recent budget bill, which incorporated some staples of farm bill policy such as increased commodity spending and major cuts to food aid. (Link to this post.)