Thursday, October 17, 2013

Obama calls for a Farm Bill but sounds like he's not up to date on the congressional negotiations

President Obama called on Congress today to pass three things: "a responsible budget ... immigration reform ... and a farm bill." But he did not sound up to date on the status of the Farm Bill.

"The Senate has already passed a solid bipartisan bill," Obama noted. "It's got support from Democrats and Republicans. It's sitting in the House waiting for passage." Well, not really.

The House had some trouble passing a farm bill but finally did, and it and the Senate have named a joint conference committee to work out the differences. But Obama continued, "If House Republicans have ideas that they think would improve the farm bill, let's see them. Let's negotiate. What are we waiting for? Let's get this done."

"This has to make you wonder how high a priority the Farm Bill really is for the White House," said Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues (publisher of The Rural Blog) and political columnist for The Courier-Journal in Louisville.

Obama said, "We should pass a farm bill, one that American farmers and ranchers can depend on—one that protects vulnerable children and adults in times of need—one that gives rural communities opportunities to grow and the long-term certainty that they deserve."

Don't expect lawmakers to even begin discussing the Farm Bill until Oct. 28, Jerry Hagstrom reports for DTN The Progressive Farmer. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) told DTN that the Farm Bill could be added to the budget bill, which is supposed to be done by mid-December, "but warned that the bigger issue would be whether the House and the Senate reach an agreement on the budget. Stabenow said she is certain that the Farm Bill conferees will come to an agreement but is not certain about the budget conferees. Whether the Farm Bill could be attached to the budget bill would depend on 'how it is done,' she said." 

This leaves many worried about when a new farm bill might be passed. Hagstrom writes: "Farm lobbyists fear that it will be difficult to reach a House-Senate agreement on the farm bill, especially on cuts to food stamps. Some groups hope the farm bill might be included in a budget deal that members of Congress would feel forced to support while others worry that Stabenow [and other leaders of the agriculture committees] would lose control of the Farm Bill to congressional leadership and President Barack Obama as they work out the larger deal."

Thad Cochran of Mississippi, the ranking Republican on the Senate committee, told DTN in an email: "As part of a sustainable budget plan, I hope we can reach a long-term agreement on a Farm Bill to provide producers and consumers with certainty and to preserve the security Americans enjoy by our ability to generate independently food and fiber for ourselves and for the world. The farm bill this body adopted earlier this year would help accomplish those goals and save $23 billion over the next five years." But a Cochran spokesman added to the email: "The reference of the Farm Bill in context of the budget is meant in broad terms, as part of an effort to curb government spending by at least $23 billion. The senator is not specifically advocating at this point that the Farm Bill be added to a budget resolution, as some have suggested might occur." (Read more)

No comments: