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Apr. 8, 2024 POLITICO reports: Last week, Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley suggested that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer could make the farm bill a top priority "to do between now and the summer," but warned such a move is "not likely to happen." On Friday, Schumer appeared to tip his hand by making no mention of the farm bill in a "dear colleague" letter laying out the Senate's top priorities for the weeks and months ahead. In the letter, Schumer laid out a series of bills the Senate will try to advance in the coming months. According to Schumer, the upper chamber will take action on "bipartisan bills that enhance our national security, advance online safety for kids and promote innovation, expand the Child Tax Credit, work on a path forward on Tik Tok legislation, combat the fentanyl crisis, hold failed bank executives accountable, address rail safety, ensure internet affordability, safeguard cannabis banking, outcompete the Chinese government, lower the cost of prescription drugs like insulin while expanding access to health care, and more." Conspicuously absent was any mention of the farm bill. What's the holdup? In short, the farm bill has repeatedly been pushed to the backburner as Congress has struggled to function smoothly. Government funding talks dragged on for six extra months, the House was derailed for weeks after it deposed its Speaker and Congress has given greater priority to other stalled legislation, like foreign aid bills to help Ukraine repel Russia's invasion and replenish military aid for Israel. The farm bill, meanwhile, has not been considered at the committee level despite a marathon of hearings in both the House and Senate. Behind the delay is a drawn-out funding battle. The farm bill's budget is flat -- meaning there is no additional money at the committee's disposal. To add additional funds, lawmakers are hoping to roll about $15 billion worth of Inflation Reduction Act funding for climate-smart agriculture into the farm bill baseline, making it permanent and removing the deadlines for spending it. But Republicans want to loosen climate-smart restrictions on the money, allowing it to be used for a broader set of practices. In the House, Republicans want to reallocate some of the funds to the farm safety net programs that assist farmers in the event of an economic downturn. Democrats so far have rebuffed both proposals, insisting that climate-related guardrails on the IRA funds must remain intact. That's left both sides in a stalemate that shows no sign of resolving anytime soon. The current extension to the 2018 farm bill will expire on Sept. 30. Tweet |
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