Dems brace for fierce farm bill battle
The top House Republican says his proposal reflects the current politics within his party while Senate Democrats have put forward a proposal they argue can bring both sides together.
First Things First
The House saw the writing on the wall: Chances were slim the Senate would clear legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration in time for members to pass the sprawling aviation safety bill by Friday’s deadline.
So it passed a one-week extension on Wednesday afternoon to give senators extra time to figure out a path forward and skipped town a day earlier than scheduled.
The early release prevented plans for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Democratic members of the House Agriculture Committee from meeting with the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture panel—Debbie Stabenow of Michigan—to discuss a legislative strategy for the farm bill ahead of a face-off with congressional Republicans.
“House Democrats and Senate Democrats will continue to be in alignment in making sure that we have an enlightened, forward-looking farm bill that meets the neees of the American people, farmers and the most vulnerable in our society,” Jeffries told Once Upon a Hill this week before today’s votes were canceled.
Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), who serves on House Ag and was scheduled to attend the meeting, said he recognizes Congress’s responsibility to confront the nation’s climate and nutrition crises.
“It’s two ends of the same point. I want to see that the crop insurance is pushed through and that the food security for women and children—people that are most at risk and most in need—are also addressed,” he told OUAH. “And the farm bill is big enough for it all. We just need the compassion to go forward.”
The farm bill is the primary food and agriculture law that prevents critical programs like nutrition assistance from expiring and invests in rural economies across the country.
GT Thompson of Pennsylvania, the Republican chair of the House Agriculture Committee, last week released an overview of the policies and priorities included in the House farm bill proposal.
“This bill is a product of an extensive and transparent process, which included soliciting feedback from members of both political parties, stakeholder input from across the nation and some tough conversations,” Thompson said in a statement. “Each title of this farm bill reflects a commitment to the American farmer and viable pathways to funding those commitments and is equally responsive to the politics of the 118th Congress.
Thompson will hold a markup on the House GOP proposal two weeks from today.
“I hope for unanimous support in this endeavor to bring stability to producers, protect our nation’s food security and revitalize rural America.”
David Scott of Georgia, the top House Ag Democrat, said he and his members presented a counterproposal to Republicans to invest tens of billions of dollars in the farm bill safety net without cutting SNAP benefits.
“Unfortunately, Republicans rejected this bipartisan approach in favor of a partisan bill with an untenable funding scheme,” Scott said in a statement. “By insisting on poison pill policies, Republicans have turned what could have genuinely been a bipartisan bill into a messaging exercise to appease their right flank that has no chance of becoming law.”
For what it’s worth, Jackson said he doesn’t take the House GOP’s approach personally.
“I’m a big supporter of Chairman GT Thompson—great man, great leadership. The [Republican conference] has a lot of turmoil in it at the moment, so it’s gonna also manifest itself in the farm bill, but I hope they get above the partisanship” the first-term progressive added. “God’s blessed us with enough land, enough rain and enough soil to make everyone food secure.”
Meanwhile, Stabenow released the Senate Democrats’ version of the farm bill on the same day as House Republicans, which she says includes more than 100 bipartisan bills that can pass both houses.
“We are laser-focused on keeping farmed farming, keeping families fed and keeping rural communities strong. And that’s what this does,” Stabenow told reporters last week. “And even though we are starting with a bill that is put forward by Democrats, I am reaching out to our Republican leaders on the other side to say this is a moment to complete the negotiations because farmers need the certainty of a five-year farm bill.”
If you’re a habitual reader of this newsletter, you’ll know this isn’t the first time this Congress that the House and Senate have released dueling proposals on a major piece of legislation.
During the appropriations process to fully fund the government, House Republicans passed their bills out of committee along party lines while the Senate advanced theirs with bipartisan and sometimes even unanimous support.
Ultimately, the House GOP watched as Democrats carried the two funding packages devoid of the culture war provisions and cuts to domestic programs conservatives swore would become reality when they took the gavels in 2023.
But traditional Republicans are expressing fresh concern that the farm bill will ultimately face the same fate if conservatives prevent it from advancing out of the Rules Committee to the floor or being debated ahead of final passage.
Republicans say either of these moves would give Democrats outsized leverage to protect their policy priorities in the final bill while leaving the GOP empty-handed again.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), one of three hardline conservatives on the Rules Committee, brushed these criticisms aside, though.
“A lot of my colleagues are hiding behind rules to blame others for their inability to get anything done,” he said. “The truth is all we ever used the rules process for was to try to force an actual debate on some issues that were trying to be crammed through and just say, ‘Hey, when it’s a take-it-or-leave-it bill, we’re trying to use the Rules Committee to say, ‘No, leave it.’”
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California told OUAH that his members would negotiate the final bill in good faith.
“We pride ourselves on having thoughtful discussions that involve both commodities as well as nutrition components within the farm bill,” he said. “Just like bills that have become law and signed by the president, it’s going to have to have the Democrats and Republicans on board and we understand that and look forward to digging in a little bit more.”
Beyond process gripes, House conservatives are worried that the final farm bill will lack the deep cuts that SNAP hawks like Roy have consistently pushed for.
“It’s a food-stamp bill that has some farm stuff on top,” Roy said, while voicing his preference for nutrition programs to be detached from crop insurance provisions. “We should reform and reduce SNAP. We should, frankly, probably clean up a few of the farm programs themselves. But if we move the [Senate] package, well, it’s gonna be a great big welfare bill.”
This isn’t how nutrition advocacy groups like the Food Action & Research Center, which endorses the Stabenow farm bill, see it.
The group accused Republican policymakers of advancing a proposal to remove crucial food benefits from families across the nation.
FRAC also rejects the notion that SNAP is simply a government handout.
“SNAP isn’t just about providing food assistance; it’s about empowering individuals and families with the autonomy to make their own food choices,” FRAC spokesperson Jordan Baker said. “Through SNAP, those who have faced hunger and poverty can exercise their purchasing power without judgment or stigma, ensuring they can access the nourishment they need.”
Leaders from both parties express public optimism that the farm bill will be passed and signed into law by year’s end. But time isn’t on lawmakers’ side: We’re in an election year and control of both chambers is up for grabs. Members will want to campaign in their districts or go on summer vacation with family to make up for the moments they missed in previous months.
Aguilar acknowledged the realities of the legislative calendar and the glacial pace the upper chamber is known for moving.
“It’s hard over there in the Senate. It takes them a couple of days to turn the lights on,” he said. “All we can do is continue to work and collaborate with them on the substance of the legislation and then hope that there is both the time and the vehicle in order to make that happen.”
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Happenings
The House is out.
The Senate will meet at noon with a vote to limit debate on legislation to reauthorize the FAA at 1:30 p.m.
President Biden will receive his daily intelligence briefing this morning before welcoming the Las Vegas Aces to the White House to celebrate their 2023 WNBA Championship. The president will then travel to California ahead of a weekend west-coast swing on the campaign trail.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will join the president at the Aces celebration. Harris will get briefings and meet with staff this morning. Emhoff will also speak at a Latino Victory Foundation event later tonight.
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will be in Portland, Oregon to speak at a campaign fundraiser before traveling to San Francisco to speak at another fundraising event north of the Golden Gate City.
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