Election and Agriculture Pt 1
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. Maybe more so than in previous elections, various scenarios regarding this midterm election could impact federal farm and food policy.
Michael Torrey, of Michael Torrey and Associates, a Washington D.C.-based government advisory group focused on food and agriculture, says naturally, the election will decide which party has the majority in both the House and Senate …
TORREY … “The Senate is split equally between Republicans and Democrats at 50-50, and a House of Representatives where Democrats hold a four-vote majority. And so, what’s going to be decided in this next election is who is going to be chairing those committees, whether it’s going to be Republican or Democrat because those agendas will be slightly different based on who is in those spots.”
Of particular importance, Torrey says, is where the lawmakers on these committees come from and where their constituents live …
TORREY … “One of the things we’re watching is when you look at the committees that write these bills, they are made up more and more of members of Congress who understand urban areas and less who understand rural areas. So that, for example, brings in a focus on hunger and nutrition feeding programs.”
Tune in tomorrow for more on Torrey’s take on the upcoming election and it’s potential impact on agriculture, including those issues important to urban lawmakers like climate change and sustainability.
