A funding impasse could leave agriculture empty-handed and without a farm bill.
Press Release by Farm Progress – Written by Joshua Baethge – Policy Editor
With only a few days left on the congressional calendar, lawmakers are still bickering over how to help farmers. That doesn’t bode well for producers hoping for disaster aid or financial support to offset a challenging farm economy.
This week, Congress will be working to pass a budget extension before Dec. 20 and avoid a government shutdown. Their end-of-year legislation will presumably also include another one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill. That’s where things start to get messy.
Financial Assistance Opportunity
Republican and Democrat Agriculture Committee leaders seemingly agree that any legislation should include immediate financial assistance for farmers. They just can’t agree how best to get there.
A bill introduced by Rep. Trent Kelly, R- Miss., would provide economic assistance for multiple crop producers who incurred losses this year. Many of his proposals were reportedly included in legislation introduced by Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow last week. Her plan would have included around $10 billion in economic assistance and conservation funding.
On Saturday, Stabenow and House Ag Committee Ranking Member Rep. David Scott issued a joint statement blaming Republicans for the continued impasse. The two Democrats say their plan provided a pathway to a farm bill extension would have delivered tens of billions of dollars in economic assistance and investments in farm bill programs that farmers rely on.
They note their proposal would have been in additional to natural disaster aid that has been requested by President Biden.
“Republican Leadership turned down this $10 billion proposal, rejecting needed economic assistance and increased conservation spending for decades,” Stabenow and Scott say. “It is important to stress that this proposal is paid for and does not take any funding away from the critical natural disaster aid that has been requested.”
Unsurprisingly, Republican ag lawmakers see the situation differently. Top Ag Committee Republicans Sen. John Boozman and Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson say Democrats are standing in the way of additional ag support. They contend a Republican proposal rejected by Democrats would have delivered farmers $12 billion in economic assistance.
“It appears that congressional Democrats have not learned the lessons of the most recent election and continue to neglect the needs of rural America,” the two Republican lawmakers say. “The failure to include economic assistance will have devastating and lasting consequences on our farm families, the rural communities in which they live, and American agriculture.”
Stabenow’s plan would reportedly be funded by moving unused Inflation Reduction Act funding permanently into the Farm Bill. This would permanently increase the baseline budget for the farm bill. It would also ensure a set amount of funding would be reserved for conservation.
A sizable number of Republicans reportedly don’t want IRA funding permanently added to the farm bill. On the other hand, Democrats have staunchly defended the IRA and its funding to address climate change.
Vote Concerns
The slim GOP House majority means any legislation passed will almost certainly require Democrat votes. This is due to the fact that a small number of Republicans will not support any spending packages that don’t include larger cuts.
Boozman and Thompson say they will oppose any supplemental spending package (i.e.budget extension) that doesn’t provide “meaningful assistance” to farmers. That sentiment was echoed by multiple ag groups over the weekend.
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall called on lawmakers to vote down any spending bill that doesn’t now included economic aid for farmers. He says the whole country will suffer the consequences if Congress takes farmers and the food supply for granted.
“Nearly 80% of Americans believe lawmakers should prioritize legislation that supports farmers and ranchers, so it’s just plain unacceptable that our elected leaders are considering putting politics first,” Duvall says. “I hope reasonable members of Congress take a stand for the good folks who stock their pantries.”
Other groups issuing similar calls for agriculture economic and disaster relief include the American Soybean Association, International Fresh Produce Association, and the National Farmers Union.
“I urge Farmers Union members to tell their elected representatives to not come home until they have delivered immediate support for family farmers and ranchers,” NFU President Rob Larew says.
