House Ag Chair GT Thompson鈥檚 not giving up on a 2024 farm bill and that鈥檚 raised cautious hope at the 澳门开奖直播 Farm Bureau Federation.
AFBF Government Affairs Director Joe Gilson says Farm Bureau appreciates Thompson鈥檚 latest vow to move a farm bill out of committee by Memorial Day, but is also realistic. Gilson says, 鈥淚n 2018, it took seven or eight-months from introduction until final passage, so we鈥檙e under no illusion that this bill is going to be introduced and passed overnight, but this is the essential 鈥榝irst domino鈥 that has to fall, in order for us to get the 5-year farm bill reauthorized.鈥
But Thompson is still in talks with Ag Democrats on how to boost farm safety net funding, his top priority. That includes, as Thompson has said in earlier comments, 鈥淭he repurposing of the Inflation Reduction Act dollars, as well as the strengthening of Congress鈥 Article I authority, through a forward-thinking Thrifty Food Plan framework, among others.鈥
Both of which face Democratic pushback, either for undercutting President Biden鈥檚 signature IRA or jeopardizing future SNAP support levels, already very controversial.
Meantime, a wide chasm remains in the Senate where GOP Ag leaders proposed boosting support for higher crop insurance levels, but not at the expense of improving reference price subsidy triggers.
And Ag Senator Chuck Grassley had this on Majority Leader Chuck Schumer鈥檚 issue priority list for coming weeks. Grassley said, 鈥淣otably missing from Schumer鈥檚 agenda was the farm bill, just like, 澳门开奖直播s don鈥檛 eat. As you know, the farm bill authorizes the work of the Department of Agriculture. This work touches every 澳门开奖直播, at least three-times a day鈥攂reakfast, lunch, and dinner.鈥
But barring an elusive committee deal, there鈥檚 nothing to put on the Senate floor. And if Congress must extend the 2018 farm bill for another year after the current 1-year extension expires September 30, Grassley complains the old bill will be seven-years old and well-outdated by next year.
Story courtesy of NAFB News Service and Berns Bureau Washington/by Matt Kaye
