Massive legislation authorizes some but not all items on AVMA's agenda. The 959-page, $956 billion farm bill was signed by President Obama Feb. 7 at the Mary Anne McPhail Equine Performance Center at Michigan State University's College of Veteirnary Medicine in Lansing, Mich. The U.S. Senate passed it Feb. 4 68 to 32, helped along with often rare bipartisan support. The overdue bill—its predecessor expired in 2012—passed the House Jan. 29 with a vote of 251 to 166.The new five-year law cuts food stamps by $8 billion, farm subsidy and commodity programs by $14 billion, and conservation programs by $4 billion. However, several programs affecting veterinary medicine—specifically those lobbied for by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)—will be granted funding in the massive piece of legislation.
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