HURON, S.D.(Press Release)- South Dakota Farm Bureau (SDFB) joins the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) in its concern and opposition to the Build Back Better plan which may receive a vote on the U.S. House floor this week.

AFBF sent a letter to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives urging them to vote against the Build Back Better Act because the legislation would raise taxes and spend more taxpayer money.

The U.S. House is set to consider the FY22 reconciliation bill, the Build Back Better Act, later this week. While the bill no longer contains some of the tax increases that most concerned farmers and ranchers, the totality of the bill’s tax and spending increases remain concerning enough for AFBF to oppose.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall wrote in the letter, “While some elements of the reconciliation package would benefit agriculture, the massive amount of spending and tax increases required to pay for the plan outweigh the gains we would see in rural America. The economy is still recovering from the pandemic, supply chains are stressed, and inflation is putting pressure on America’s pocketbooks. Now is not the time to put an additional burden on families struggling to make ends meet.”

South Dakota Farm Bureau president, Scott VanderWal participated in the national conversations with AFBF leaders, which resulted in the organization opposing the bill.

“There are components of the reconciliation bill that are commendable, however the overarching consequences of unprecedented spending will negatively affect rural South Dakota and all of our citizens. We urge members to contact Congressman Dusty Johnson to ask him to vote no on the Build Back Better legislation. Our South Dakota conservative values should be the voice of reason at this time,” said VanderWal.