Congress poised for another farm bill punt after Senate nonstarter
Source: The Hill
11/22/24 6:00 AM ET
House Republicans rejected a farm bill proposal by Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) this week, increasing the likelihood that lawmakers will pass another one-year extension of the massive legislation by the end of the year rather than a new, longer-term measure. A source in Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) office confirmed this week that the GOP-controlled House plans to seek an extension of the 2018 farm bill, the last major version of the legislation signed into law, rather than pursuing a new bill after months of gridlock.
The legislation, which has long underpinned the country’s agriculture sector and food aid programs, is typically passed in five-year increments, but lawmakers similarly punted on passing a new bill at the end of last year. Major bones of contention in interparty talks surrounding the legislation include reference pricing, the subsidies paid to farmers when the prices of commodities fall below a certain threshold.
GOP lawmakers are specifically seeking higher reference prices for cotton, peanuts and rice with the increase paid for by cuts to the Commodity Credit Corporation, which the Biden administration has used for climate-related discretionary funds. Democrats have opposed this move, as well as a GOP push to freeze the expansion of the foods covered by the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP).
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) signaled that Democrats would not budge on SNAP at a press conference Tuesday, saying, “We certainly will continue to protect nutritional assistance for Americans all across the country. That’s in urban America, rural America, exurban America, the heartland of America and small-town America. That will be a priority for us as has always been the case moving forward.”
Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5002806-farm-bill-poised-one-year-extension/
= new reply since forum marked as read
