Just before the August recess, House Republican leaders gave up trying to pass the fiscal 2024 Agriculture funding bill after they were unable to satisfy demands from a band of hard-line conservatives who are seeking deeper cuts in spending.
Delaying action on the FY24 bill, which would fund USDA, FDA and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, puts off potential fights over amendments targeting farm programs and could also delay floor action on a new farm bill.
The House Rules Committee met Wednesday to prepare the spending bill for floor debate but never voted on a rule that determines which amendments get debated on the floor.
GOP leaders had scheduled floor action this week on both the Agriculture bill and the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs measure, two of the least controversial of the 12 annual appropriations bills. Ultimately, the House only voted on Military Construction-VA, which passed along party lines Thursday, 219-211.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., told Agri-Pulse he still wants to move a farm bill in September but acknowledged that the timing will be tied closely to when there will be time to consider it on the House floor.
“I’ll hold back on the markup until I have a clear window when the floor week's going to be, because I want it to time up well,” Thompson said.
In the meantime, the House GOP conference needs to have a “family discussion” about the appropriations process, he said.
The House will be in recess until Sept. 12 and is scheduled to be in session for just 12 days in September ahead of the end of the fiscal year. Congress will have to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded after Oct. 1.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., played down the delay in the appropriations process. McCarthy met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and indicated they discussed the possibility of beginning negotiations on the FY24 spending measures before Sept. 30.