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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Saturday, May 18, 2024
Passage of a new farm bill this year remains a long shot, but the House Agriculture Committee’s planned markup of a bill on May 23 could help some vulnerable Republicans while putting pressure on a handful of Democrats who are in close re-election races.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson works to build the case this week for a farm bill that so far lacks any Democratic support ahead of the panel’s scheduled votes May 23.
House Agriculture Committee Democrats have offered a counter proposal on the farm bill that suggests using USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation funding authority to shore up commodity programs and crop insurance, according to a summary of the proposal obtained by Agri-Pulse.
The top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee on Friday accused the panel’s majority Republicans of “abandoning bipartisanship” to push through a farm bill next month that will include restrictions on nutrition assistance and the Commodity Credit Corporation that are unacceptable to Democrats.
The top Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee suggested Friday Congress should move a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill as soon as November to give lawmakers more time to write a new farm bill.
The chaos among House Republicans isn’t the only hurdle facing a new farm bill. Senate Republican Whip John Thune, R-S.D., says the Senate Ag Committee remains divided over key issues, including what to do about the major commodity programs.
House Democrats are charting a new path to writing a farm bill this year with the formation a special leadership-appointed task force that’s working on recommendations for the legislation.