This insightful article is from CoBank in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was written by Lauren Sturgeon Bailey. Lauren Sturgeon Bailey is the Vice President of Government Affairs at CoBank.
For many years, the House and Senate agriculture committees had been the most bipartisan group of legislators in the U.S. Congress, with members’ support for farm and food programs solidly bipartisan. Any fights were generally between regions of the country, not the parties. As legislators have become increasingly partisan and disconnected from production agriculture, the agriculture committees and the industry interests have begun to suffer the same fate as the rest of Congress. This challenging reality has become clear this year as the House and Senate committee principals have each brought forth their own individual farm bill proposals, rather than working together.
The current extension runs through Sept. 30, 2024, and the reauthorization is nowhere near finished in either chamber. The House committee has successfully passed H.R. 8467, the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2024, on a bipartisan vote (33-21). Democrats filed a formal objection to the bill, but it has been reported to the full House of Representatives. While this is progress, the legislation in its current form will not pass the House. Many in the House Freedom Caucus refuse to vote for any legislation that spends money. With too few GOP votes to pass this bill, negotiations must garner bipartisan support.
The House currently has 220 Republicans, 213 Democrats and two vacancies. House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., needs at least 25 Democrats (preferably more) to vote with him. This makes floor consideration uncertain. Additionally, the cost of the bill has not yet been verified by the Congressional Budget Office. The committee must continue to work through budgetary issues and additional policy changes.
The Senate is no closer to a farm bill markup than it was a year ago. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., released her farm bill framework, which includes many individual bipartisan bills introduced in the 118th Congress. It is noteworthy that this proposal does not include the increase to farm programs Ranking Member John Boozman, R-Ark., has advocated for during his time leading the committee’s Republicans. Boozman recently released his own proposal, similar to Thompson’s. This type of posturing has not previously occurred between principals, a sign to industry groups that the path forward is difficult.
One thing that could break the stalemate is the upcoming election. With less than five months until the 2024 presidential election, Congress has six legislative session weeks to reauthorize the current farm bill and to continue funding the government. At a time where partisanship is still high, the disapproval rate of Congress also remains high. Elections can inspire interesting actions by Congress. Many in the agriculture community hope the 2024 election results will force Congress to finally pass a five-year farm bill.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this report is not intended to be investment, tax, or legal advice and should not be relied upon by recipients for such purposes. The information contained in this report has been compiled from what CoBank regards as reliable sources. However, CoBank does not make any representation or warranty regarding the content, and disclaims any responsibility for the information, materials, thirdparty opinions, and data included in this report. In no event will CoBank be liable for any decision made or actions taken by any person or persons relying on the information contained in this report.