The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Glenn “GT” Thompson, is expressing confidence that he can still move a bipartisan farm bill based on discussions with Rep. Jim Jordan, a long-time critic of farm policy who hopes to secure the House speakership this week.
“I've had some direct conversations with Jim Jordan, and he recognizes how important agriculture is … not just to the nation but the Republican Conference,” Thompson told Agri-Pulse.
Thompson said Jordan assured him he would follow the GOP conference's wishes on moving a new farm bill. “He wants to go with the body of Republicans. He knows it’s important to us," Thompson said.
Thompson also reiterated that he expected to move a bipartisan farm bill that won’t cut nutrition spending.
“We're not going to cut anything in SNAP and nutrition. We're going to run a highly effective farm bill,” Thompson said.
“It’s always bipartisan in the end. I’m trying to make it bipartisan to begin with. My goal is to eliminate political theater.”
Many conservative members of the caucus are calling for tightening work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The debt-ceiling agreement that House Republicans reached with the White House in May raised the work requirement for able-bodied SNAP recipients from age 49 to 54 but also provided new exemptions that angered some GOP critics.
Thompson said the defeat last month of the fiscal 2024 appropriations bill for USDA and FDA “reinforced how important agriculture to the Republican conference.”
The bill is usually one of the most controversial, but cuts demanded by hardline conservatives would have slashed USDA’s budget by 18%, according to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, and the bill failed when 27 Republicans joined Democrats in opposing it. Although Thompson voted for the bill, 11 other Republicans on his committee did not.
Jordan, who has consistently voted against farm bills, has long frustrated farmers in his rural Ohio district with his opposition to farm and biofuel policy. But he can only afford to lose four of his GOP colleagues in the upcoming floor votes for the speakership. The voting could come as soon as Tuesday. Jordan will need to get 217 GOP votes, assuming all 212 Democrats vote against him.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press that Democrats have had "informal discussion" with some Republicans about a bipartisan resolution to the speakership vacancy. He said lawmakers needed to "formalize" those discussions this week.
"It's time to end the Republican civil war so we can get back to doing the business of the American people. And we as House Democrats are committed to finding that bipartisan path forward in a meaningful way," Jeffries said.
During a private conference meeting Friday, Republicans voted 124-81 for Jordan over Georgia Rep. Austin Scott, a House Ag subcommittee chairman who offered himself as an alternative to Jordan. The GOP conference then held a second round of secret balloting to gauge how members would vote on the House floor; Jordan won that vote, 152-55.
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Other House Agriculture Committee members also indicated they are comfortable with Jordan as speaker.
Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., said she had talked to Jordan “specifically about agricultural issues that have happened in the past and what we're contending with in this current farm bill. Jim is very well aware of the issues and has been very open to how we navigate those in such tight margins."
She said Jordan would “be fine when it comes to representing rural America.”
South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson, who gave a nominating speech for Jordan, said they had talked about the importance of passing a new farm bill as well as other legislation.
“GT and Jim have a good relationship, and I have every expectation that GT Thompson is going to be able to deliver a farm bill that's going to get a large number of bipartisan votes on the floor,” Johnson said.
Arkansas Rep. Rick Crawford told Agri-Pulse he didn't expect any issues with the farm bill under a Jordan speakership.
Rep. John Duarte, a California Republican on House Ag who had wanted Kevin McCarthy returned to the speakership, voted for Scott on Friday before supporting Jordan on the second ballot.
Duarte said the 152-55 vote on that ballot shows the conference “still has a lot of work to do” to get Jordan elected.
"I think we all need to be telling each other let's get this on the way. Jim Jordan is our nominee. We need to get him to the floor, and we need to elect him speaker. We need to get out the work for American people back underway," Duarte said.
Here is a list of agriculture- or rural-related events scheduled for this week in Washington and elsewhere (all times EDT):
Monday, Oct. 16
4 p.m. – USDA releases weekly Crop Progress report.
Tuesday, Oct. 17
Wednesday, Oct. 18
10 a.m. – Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, ‘Examining the Implications of Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency for Clean Water Act Protections of Wetlands and Streams,” 406 Dirksen.
Thursday, Oct. 19
8:30 a.m. – USDA releases Weekly Export Sales report.
Friday, Oct. 20
For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.
