Farm bill still has a shot
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas said Thursday that he had been assured by Speaker John Boehner that the farm bill remains part of the year-end “big picture” for Republicans and the promise of $35 billion in 10-year savings “has gotten somebody’s attention.”
The Oklahoma Republican underscored that the fate of his bill –first reported from his committee in July—remains unclear still even to him. But he said he had talked with Boehner directly on the question Tuesday after the House returned from the November elections.
Continue Reading“He assured me that was on their agenda and gave me the impression that it was one of the issues that will be addressed in the big picture sense…I assume he means sequestration and taxes,” Lucas told POLITICO. “When the speaker answered my question, the way he acted, led me to believe—I’ll put it that way—that they are focused on the big picture and this is one of those elements. No more specifics than that.”
“Whether it is part of the `bridge’ –he’s used that phrase before—to the ultimate thing I don’t know,” Lucas said. “But clearly our $35 billion in the House package in savings has gotten somebody’s attention.”
The chairman’s comments, in a brief hallway interview, echo remarks earlier this week by Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, the ranking Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, who also argued that the GOP should be more mindful of the potential savings which could be used to ease the pressure for automatic spending cuts at year’s end.
“Some way, somehow we need to get a five year farm bill passed,” Roberts said. “There are an awful lot of farmers and ranchers and their lenders out there now who are sort of in financial purgatory.”
Separately, in an interview with AgriTalk radio, Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson, the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture panel, warned that the GOP faces a real fight if it tries to pass a simple one-year farm law extension instead of the full five year plan.
“I still am hopeful, Peterson said. “I really think they want to get this off their plate by the end of the year.” But the notion of a one-year stopgap measure—which would leave dairy farmers without the added protection Peterson gas in the five year package—is a non-starter, he said.
“I am absolutely 110 percent against a one year extension and I will do everything in my power to stop it,” Peterson said. “That is a bad idea.”
Readers' Comments (5)
Every time I read or hear about the Farm Bill, I wonder how many of those farmers are Republicans and vote against their own best interests.
LESS GUBMENT!!! NO GUBMENT!!! (please help me when I need it though, ok gubment?) HATE GUBMENT!!!
You have to wonder if the Republican party is really bent on suicide. Outside of the deep South, the farm belt is all they have left - and they can't even get it together to deliver the goodies to their base?
House Republicans have no accomplishments whatsoever to show for the latest session, unless you count the negative accomplishment of the brainless sequestration budget cuts - but you would think they could at least transact routine business. Worst Congress ever?
This is a food stamp bill masquerading as a farm bill. 80% of the money goes to food stamps.
It's overtime for focused legislation instead of these omni bills where everyone gets some taxpayer money.
Separate food stamps and since the taxpayers are paying, try to make the food actually healthy food instead of cheap, GMO, processed junk that only contributes to poor health for which taxpayers may also be asked to foot the bill.
Quit subsidizing farmers, republicans, under the guise of food stamps. Free market?
Shouldn't a farm bill also consider how our nation's fresh water is allocated? 50% of our fresh water goes to old fossil fuel and nuclear power plants. It would make sense to stop wasting our fresh water on old technology and place this valuable natural resource into our farms.
How many farmers sold their water to frackers this past year and then collected on crop insurance payed for by taxpayers?
More like "America is shot" done for. Buckle up, it's all downhill from here and things are only going to get worse under the idiot Democrats.
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