A Senate ag appropriator says Congress needs to sort through government funding, immigration and farm policy in short order.
Speaking on Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., also said the emergency supplemental aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan is top of mind on Capitol Hill. But to pass that assistance, there needs to be action to address issues at the southern border.
“The White House and therefore the Democrats in the Senate, are willing to negotiate,” said Moran, who says he is optimistic a deal can be made in the Senate.
Whether or not a deal can be made in the House is another story.
“I think from my perspective, the Senate ought to accomplish the best deal it can get, and then let the House decide whether it's good enough for them.”
He says if Congress can accomplish that task, lawmakers can move forward with appropriations bills, particularly “the Department of Agriculture’s appropriation bill.”
“That’s the next big issue,” said Moran.
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Moran says he does not support another continuing resolution further extending the appropriations debate. The veteran appropriator is also opposed to an omnibus bill to combine all 12 appropriation bills for final passage.
Jim Richards with Cornerstone Government Affairs says that might be the only option left.
“At this time of the game, the only thing you can do is an omnibus … it's not like it was back in the day when we used to do it. It's a whole other ballpark now,” Richards, a former GOP appropriations staffer on Capitol Hill said. He argued it would be too difficult to try and pass individual appropriation bills. “We’re past that point in the process.”
You can see more from Moran, Richards and Alexa Combelic with the American Soybean Association on this week's Agri-Pulse Newsmakers.
For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.
