Post 4th of July Break Farm Bill Work
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. Congress is back in session after the July 4th recess with Senate ag leaders resuming efforts to pass a new farm bill.
Ag Chair John Boozman will now assess where his farm bill draft stands with Ag members, especially Democrats, opposed to some SNAP reforms …
BOOZMAN … “If we need to include things or if there’s some that feel we need to take something out. Again, just to respond to whatever the comments are that we get.”
Democrats oppose high SNAP overpayment states getting a two-year delay in cost-sharing with USDA unless lower error states get the same break.
Boozman is open to a solution but insists states need incentives to bring down SNAP overpayments.
The next hurdle is getting floor time with the Majority Leader before the October election break …
BOOZMAN … “Senator Thune is one of our most active members on the committee. He’s totally, totally into giving us floor time when we need it, to get the farm bill passed. And he understands, coming from South Dakota, how important this is.”
But Thune has other problems, including a fight with the president over passing new election restrictions, and with Democrats, moving spending bills and anti-terrorist spy tools.
One of those spending bills, an Iran war supplemental, contains year-round E15 legislation and $10 billion in new farm aid, but that could be time-consuming.
