A stopgap government funding bill that includes a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill easily passed the GOP-controlled House Tuesday after Democrats more than made up for the desertion of hardline GOP conservatives who were unhappy the legislation includes no spending cuts. The Senate approved a similar bill Wednesday night.
The measure would extend funding for some departments and agencies, including USDA, to Jan. 19 at fiscal 2023 levels. Most departments and agencies would be funded until Feb. 2.
“This is kind of nice, because our members on both sides of the aisle are going to be able to go home and give thanks that we got a farm bill extension," House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., told Agri-Pulse after the vote.
"A lot of farm families are going to give thanks that we got a farm bill extension. But there's also the expectation that we're going to keep working" on a new farm bill.
House GOP leaders believe the “laddered” CR will keep pressure on Congress into next year to enact individual appropriations bills rather than passing a massive year-end omnibus bill in December. While Democrats welcomed the fact that the CR doesn’t force immediate cuts in spending, Johnson insists that the federal debt still must be addressed.
A few GOP hardliners also complained about including the farm bill extension, saying that would delay needed reforms, but the Democratic leadership formally endorsed the CR shortly before the vote.
The farm bill extension contains funding for some programs that expired Sept. 30 and includes a fresh $37 million for the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and $15 million for combatting feral swine.
The extension effectively gives lawmakers until the end of 2024 to pass a farm bill, but leaders of the House and Senate Ag committees insist they are committed to passing a bill as soon as possible.
Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., told reporters Tuesday she would like to see the bill completed by the summer but suggested the ongoing uncertainty about the length of the fiscal 2024 appropriations process could affect the schedule.
“I'm very anxious to get it done and have the staff in place and the capacity to get this done,” Stabenow said of the farm bill.
Stabenow said farm groups need to convey a sense of urgency to Congress about the farm bill.
“What I hope will happen is that we're going to be hearing from all parts of the agricultural community … that they want us to sit down and get this done,” she said.
The top Republican on the committee, Arkansas Sen. John Boozman, said the extension provides certainty to farmers and bankers about commodity programs for 2024 crops.
“I don't think it does anything to diminish us going forward and getting a farm bill done as quickly as possible,” Boozman told reporters.