Senate to vote on resolution killing Waters of the U.S. rules; Obama expected to veto resolution

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said on Thursday that she has gathered enough support for a joint resolution of disapproval to overcome a Democratic filibuster to kill the Obama administration's Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rules, Philip Brasher reports for Agri-Pulse. Ernst, who "didn't say how many senators supported the measure but it would only require a simple majority to pass," said the Senate could vote as early as next week.

"Although President Obama would almost certainly veto the disapproval resolution, the Senate vote would be a test of support for blocking the rule legislatively through a policy rider in the fiscal 2016 spending bill that Congress is expected to consider in December," Brasher writes. Ernst told reporters, “These efforts are the next necessary steps in pushing back against this blatant power grab, and I'm optimistic it will head to the president's desk, where he will be forced to decide between the livelihood of our rural communities nationwide and his unchecked federal agency." (Read more)