The Senate Agriculture Committee will hold its first 2023 farm bill hearing later this month in Michigan, Chair Debbie Stabenow (-MI) and Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) announced this week.
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Category: Legislative Updates
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The fiscal year (FY) 2022 omnibus appropriations package, which includes considerable increases to conservation investment, was signed into law last month by President Biden. The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) applauded the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, as well as President Biden, for recognizing the importance of conservation and environmental protection programs and is pleased to see the package includes increased funding for these crucial programs.
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Leaders, those in the infrastructure industry and transportation officials are cautioning against legislation that would forgo the federal gas tax to offset inflation.
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Over his years in office, Rep. Peter DeFazio has become one of the staunchest proponents for increasing federal dollars to repair and modernize the nation’s infrastructure.
As chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, DeFazio was instrumental during the lengthy legislative negotiations that culminated in the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Joe Biden signed in November. As he looks toward wrapping up his career in Congress — DeFazio is not seeking reelection this fall — he listed the sweeping legislative package among his achievements.
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Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) is guaranteed to win reelection this year after the South Dakota filing deadline came and went this past week without anyone else entering the race. This despite the efforts of former President Trump smearing Thune for failing to support his election position. Thune has a stockpile of campaign cash on hand and favorable approval rating which some believe positions him well to succeed Senate Minority Leader McConnell when the time is right.
President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for fiscal 2023 would boost Agriculture Department spending by 9%, including significant increases for agricultural research and conservation technical assistance and a new round of funding for rural broadband expansion.
The $3.1 billion budget proposal for USDA earmarks $1.8 billion for climate-related programs, including $300 million in new funding for loans to convert rural electric cooperatives to clean energy sources.
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Agripulse and many other Washington political watchers are keeping their eye on Democrats’ talk about changing the nomination process for their candidates. Former Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge says losing the Iowa caucuses would hurt agriculture and also harm the Democratic Party. The caucuses have long forced Democratic candidates to focus on ag policy. In the run-up to the Democratic caucuses in 2020, Judge took Democratic candidates on tours of ethanol plants to stress the importance of biofuel policy to the state.
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Speaker Nancy Pelosi used her leadership meetings this week to sound out her Democratic colleagues on the best way to address record-high gas prices. Some senior Democrats still hope the House can act next week before Easter recess but the path forward remains unclear.
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A bipartisan bill has been introduced in Congress that would create a permanent office in the White House for rural prosperity issues. According to its proponents, the office would improve lives and livelihoods over time in rural America.
Earlier this month, U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced the Rural Prosperity Act, which aims to streamline federal services for rural America and eliminate bureaucratic obstacles by establishing the Office of Rural Prosperity. The Office would be a permanent fixture in the White House tasked with coordinating federal efforts to support and connect America’s rural communities to federal programs and resources.
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More technical assistance and streamlined application processes for conservation programs would help farmers adopt practices to reduce greenhouse gases, lawmakers were told at a hearing on how the next farm bill should address climate change.
“It is about workforce,” former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota told the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday, recommending that the Natural Resources Conservation Service increase the use of partnerships with land-grant universities and other entities to get needed technical help to farmers.
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