Limited floor time for debate and bill consideration is a common rationale for Congress not to consider must pass bills like the appropriations and farm bills. The unexpected leadership battle in the House – hopefully resolved by the time you are reading this – has delayed the House from formally meeting. Now the tragic war in the Middle East will push other issues to the back burner as the Administration and the Congress determine the best response.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he’s fairly confident that Congress will succeed in either passing an extension to the 2018 farm bill or finish up work on a new one by the end of the year in order to avoid severe repercussions of doing nothing.
Lawmakers appear far from reaching agreement on a new farm bill, but farmers and consumers needn’t fear the possibility of $10-a-gallon milk next year. That prospect will almost certainly ensure that Congress passes some kind of extension of the 2018 farm bill by early 2024.
Debating pros and cons of an issue intensifies when a bill is before Congress for consideration. With the farm bill front and center in the halls of Congress, this opinion piece typifies the kinds of issues that come up as a bill is under consideration.
Rep. Dusty Johnson, a member of the House Ag Committee and chairman of the Republican Main Street Caucus, told reporters Wednesday he doesn't believe members of the hard-line Freedom Caucus are "interested in delaying" this year's farm bill.
Former House Ag Committee Chair Collin Peterson is calling on House GOP leaders to find the votes to pass the next farm bill not in the conservative flank of the Republican Party, but among the chamber's more moderate members.
Mike Seyfert, president and CEO of the National Grain and Feed Association, a broad-based, non-profit trade association that represents and provides services for grain, feed and related commercial business, recently spoke with AgriPulse about his views on Conservation Reserve Program (CPR) reform.
Despite many legislative and political challenges, Jordan Dux, Director, Federal Policy, Nebraska Farm Bureau told the National LICA Committee he is remaining optimistic that an agreement can be reached on a new five-year farm bill. Dux expertly analyzed the positions of the House, Senate and Administration in putting together one of the most important bills facing Congress this year. Dux also explained the American Farm Bureau’s continued legal and legislative fight to protect farmers and ranchers from overzealous regulations like the Water of the U.S. ruling.
House Democrats are charting a new path to writing a farm bill this year with the formation of a special leadership-appointed task force that’s working on recommendations for the legislation. The Democrats’ task force is conducting roundtables and listening sessions with plans to create a list of Democratic recommendations for the upcoming farm bill, according to Rep. Bennie Thompson, a veteran Democrat from Mississippi, who is chairing the group. The group is aiming to compile its recommendations by the end of this month, he said.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, plans to attempt once again to reform the existing farm bill payment limits, seeking to tighten the amount of people eligible for the government's agricultural programs. Grassley said he’ll propose more restrictive payment limits in the upcoming reauthorization process, repeating similar efforts he's championed in previous bills.