|
Farm Bill
Congress went back to work this week with a lot on their plate and not much time to do it as there are just 61 scheduled legislative days before the November 5 general election. How much work gets done is in question as members in tight election battles will want to be at home campaigning rather than in Washington DC.
Not much has been done so far. We are three months into the second session of the 118th Congress and Congress has only been able to enact two minibus appropriations bills that fund the federal government through the end of September.
So, where do things stand with a new Farm Bill? Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sent a letter to every Senator laying out the list of legislative priorities for the remainder of the session. Unfortunately, a new Farm Bill was not on his list.
In his letter, Schumer stressed that, "bipartisanship and compromise are the only ways to make progress and get things done." With his razor-thin Senate majority, Mr. Schumer will need support from Senate Republicans for legislative success. However, Senate Republicans will likely be stingy with their support in helping Democrats achieve legislative victories before the election.
On the House side, Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson (R-PA) is pushing forward and wants to wrap-up a Farm Bill soon. However, he is seeking an additional $75 billion in funding to expand the Commodity Title – a move some of his fellow Republicans oppose because it increases the cost of the $1.5 trillion Farm Bill.
To help fund this new spending, Republicans would like to use dollars already authorized in the Inflation Reduction Act. Democrats universally oppose this as they want those funds to pay for climate-smart agriculture initiatives and conservation priorities.
| 
