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Tuesday, July 09, 2013

House Republicans plan test votes to split Farm Bill

UPDATE, July 11: "House leaders became convinced Wednesday they have enough votes to pass a farm-only version," Chris Clayton reports. "Congressmen will debate and vote on the farm-only bill without a chance to amend it on Thursday." (Read more)

UPDATE, July 10: "Clearly there was some sort of problem for House leaders in whipping votes because as of Wednesday morning, there was no bill posted on the House Rules Committee website suggesting a new farm bill is coming to the floor," Chris Clayton of DTN The Progressive Farmer reports. The American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union came out against the split, "a political high-wire act that has split the agriculture community badly and helped to solidify Democratic opposition," Rogers reports.

House Republicans continue to move toward splitting their farm bill, putting food stamps into a separate measure and breaking the rural-urban alliance that has passed such bills for almost 50 years. Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma said today that he agrees with the strategy, but only if it can gain a House majority of 218 votes, which is in doubt.

"Prodded by his leadership . . . Lucas said Tuesday he would support splitting his farm bill to allow separate votes on the nutrition title to appease conservatives — a strategy promoted by Majority Leader Eric Cantor and the Heritage Foundation," David Rogers reports for Politico. But Rogers notes that senior Republicans on the committee may not be on board, and Lucas said later, "If there is no assurance of success, why try the effort?"

To see if they have the votes, House GOP leaders planned to hold some test votes this afternoon, "and it was still too early to know the outcome," Rogers writes. He notes that splitting the bill could "throw away what leverage the House has with the farm bill to demand some reforms in food stamps from the Senate," which is controlled by Democrats and has voted for much smaller food-stamp cuts.

"The Rules Committee is expected to post the text Tuesday night and meet Wednesday," with a vote before the August recess, reports Matt Fuller of Roll Call, citing a leadership aide. The bill would include "a repeal of the 1949 law that requires the passage or extension of a farm bill."

The top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson of Minnesota, told The Hill that splitting the bill would get more House votes but kill it in a House-Senate conference, which would endorse only $5 billion in food-stamp cuts, not enough to pass the House, which wants about $20 billion. He also noted that a broad coalition of farm lobbies wants a combined bill, and "When 532 groups send you a letter saying don't do this, it's pretty stupid to do this I think." Peterson said. (Read more)

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