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Farm Bill Negotiations in Jeopardy as Fiscal Cliff Approaches
The House and Senate are continuing to negotiate the text of a compromise Farm Bill with the end of the fiscal year looming large. Both sides appear to have reached a roadblock regarding proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The House version of the Farm Bill would impose stricter work requirements on SNAP beneficiaries while the Senate version would maintain the status quo. Leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee have maintained that a Farm Bill text with the House's heightened work requirements could not garner the 60 votes necessary to pass in the Senate. House Agriculture members have said, however, that a Farm Bill text without such provisions would in turn fall short in the lower chamber.
If the conference committee fails to reach a compromise text, Congressional leaders could pass a one-year extension package at current spending levels and push the Farm Bill negotiations to the incoming 116th Congress. Politico is reporting, however, that an extension is not currently being discussed.
The current Farm Bill expires on September 30th. Without an extension, the USDA's authority to administer major conservation programs would then lapse, though the mandatory funding would still persist. Commodity policy would also not revert to pre-Farm Bill standards until December.
Of similar concern, the federal government will shut down at the end of this week unless Congress passes and President Trump signs a short-term spending bill. The president has already signed
a "minibus" appropriations bill that includes annual appropriations for the subcommittees on Energy and Water, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and the Legislative Branch. Another minibus is in the works that would fully fund appropriations covered by the subcommittees on Defense and Labor, Healthcare, and Education. This second spending package would also include a continuing resolution to fund the government through early December.
For more information, please contact Eric Heath, Senior Policy Counsel for the Mississippi River Basin Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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NAFTA Negotiations Stall; U.S.- China Trade War Intensifies
Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland was in Washington, D.C. last week to continue negotiating a revamped North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). After days of intense meetings, she returned to Canada on Thursday without any notable progress. The U.S. and Canada remain at odds over U.S.-proposed restrictions on imported Canadian cars, among other things. President Trump has expressed a desire to move ahead with negotiations at a bilateral level with Mexico if Canada does not strike an agreement with the U.S. Congressional leaders, however, have expressed no willingness to approve a deal without both Canada and Mexico.
Meanwhile, President Trump today implemented another round of tariffs on Chinese imports, particularly targeting consumer goods. The new tariffs cover close to $200 billion in value at a rate of 10%, though the rate will increase to 25% by the year's end. This escalation comes in addition to the preexisting $50 billion in tariffs the Trump Administration already imposed. China immediately responded with a statement announcing that it would retaliate in kind, though the specifics of any Chinese measures have yet to be finalized. President Trump has already stated that he would impose further tariffs on the remaining $267 billion of Chinese imports if China retaliates to the $200 billion in tariffs. To mitigate its exposure to U.S. trade tensions, China recently announced that it would soon move to lower tariffs on its other major trading partners.
For more information, please contact Eric Heath, Senior Policy Counsel for the Mississippi River Basin Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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This Week in Washington
The following are Senate hearings and markups of interest to the region.
Wednesday
The House Committee on Natural Resources will hold a full committee markup. The legislation that will be considered is available here. 10:15 AM | 1324 Longworth HOB.
Thursday
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NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
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