Sen. Tina Smith expresses optimism that a new farm bill can still be completed by the end of the year, in part because of the progress the Senate is making on appropriations bills.
Speaking on this week’s Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, the Minnesota Democrat noted that the Senate next week will start a floor debate on annual appropriations bills "for the first time in years." The Senate will consider a package of three bills, one of which would fund the Agriculture Department and Food and Drug Administration.
"So I think that shows that there's good bipartisan interest in getting these important bills done, and the farm bill is, other than appropriations, the bill that the Senate has to pass this year," said Smith, who is a member of the Agriculture Committee.
However, she acknowledged that members of the Senate Agriculture Committee have yet to resolve key differences in the farm bill's commodity title.
Despite the progress Smith sees on fiscal 2024 appropriations bills, a possible government shutdown still looms Oct. 1, unless the House and Senate can agree on a continuing resolution to keep the government funded into the new fiscal year.
In spite of internal House GOP divisions, Smith believes congressional leaders will ultimately agree on what is the most sensible option for a continuing resolution.
Randy Russell, president of The Russell Group, a Washington-based government relations firm specializing in food and agricultural public policy, also was on the panel this week and discussed the current budget showdown.
Don't miss a beat! Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! For the latest on what’s happening in agriculture in Washington, D.C. and around the country, click here.
“Look, at first it was the debt ceiling and trying to deal with that,” Russell said. “Now we’re facing a situation come Sept. 30 where the government needs to be funded.”
Russell offered his outlook on the the most likely scenario for keeping the government funded in the coming weeks.
Russell was joined on the panel by Jonathan Coppess, the former administrator of the Farm Service Agency and current director of the Gardner Agriculture Policy Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He said the current budget negotiations are similar to debt ceiling negotiations earlier this year.
The full conversations with Smith, Russell and Coppess can be viewed on Agri-Pulse.com.
For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.
