A stopgap government funding bill that includes a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill easily passed the GOP-controlled House Tuesday after Democrats more than made up for the desertion of hardline GOP conservatives who were unhappy the legislation includes no spending cuts.
The measure would extend funding for some departments and agencies, including USDA, to Jan. 19 at fiscal 2023 levels. Most departments and agencies would be funded until Feb. 2.
The House approved the measure 336-95 with 209 Democrats joining 127 Republicans in support. The measure should also pass the Senate easily.
"This is kind of nice, because our members on both sides of the aisle are going to be able to go home and give thanks that we got a farm bill extension," House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., told Agri-Pulse after the vote.
"A lot of farm families are going to give thanks that we got a farm bill extension. But there's also the expectation that we're going to keep working" on a new farm bill.
House GOP leaders believe the “laddered” CR will keep pressure on Congress into next year to enact individual appropriations bills rather than passing a massive year-end omnibus bill in December. While Democrats welcomed the fact that the CR doesn’t force immediate cuts in spending, Johnson insists that the federal debt still must be addressed.
A few GOP hardliners also complained about including the farm bill extension, saying that would delay needed reforms, but the Democratic leadership formally endorsed the CR shortly before the vote.
Without a new CR, the government will shut down when the CR that has been funding the government since Oct. 1 expires Friday.
"We’re not surrendering, we’re fighting. But you have to be wise about choosing the fights. You have to fight fights that you can win, and we’re going to,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
He said the CR was an “important step to get us to the next stage so we can change the way Washington works.”
The farm bill extension contains funding for some programs that expired Sept. 30 and includes a fresh $37 million for the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and $15 million for combatting feral swine.
The extension effectively gives lawmakers until the end of 2024 to pass a farm bill, but leaders of the House and Senate Ag committees insist they are committed to passing a bill as soon as possible.
Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., told reporters Tuesday she would like to see the bill completed by the summer but suggested the ongoing uncertainty about the length of the fiscal 2024 appropriations process could affect the schedule.
“I'm very anxious to get it done and have the staff in place and the capacity to get this done,” Stabenow said of the farm bill.
Stabenow said farm groups need to convey a sense of urgency to Congress about the farm bill.
It’s easy to be “in the know” about what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! Simply click here.
“What I hope will happen is that we're going to be hearing from all parts of the agricultural community … that they want us to sit down and get this done,” she said.
The top Republican on the committee, Arkansas Sen. John Boozman, said the extension provides certainty to farmers and bankers about commodity programs for 2024 crops.
“I don't think it does anything to diminish us going forward and getting a farm bill done as quickly as possible,” Boozman told reporters.
Neither committee has come to agreement on how to address farm group demands for changes to the major commodity programs. But House Ag Committee member Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., insisted the leaders of the House and Senate panels have made progress on other issues.
“I think that puts us in a better position than people might assume” to move a new farm bill, he said.
Jacqui Fatka contributed to this report.
For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com
