Dems Face Headwinds
From the Western Ag Network, I’m Bob Larson. Democrats have a big agenda for their majorities in the next Congress, but despite their blue wave, face stiff policy headwinds.
Longtime ag advisor Mary Kay Thatcher predicted on Farm Journal’s “Agri-Talk” that unless Democrats work with the president, they will face gridlock in the next Congress …
THATCHER … “Now he said, ‘I want to work with the Democrats.’ So far, I haven’t heard the Democrats say, ‘I want to work with the president.’”
That could mean little real change in ag policy …
THATCHER … “They promised to end the Iran war, they promised to bring down tariffs, they promised to fix gas and diesel prices. Those are all really good, but we have to remember that, even though the Democrats have the House and the Senate, you still have the president. Neither one of them have veto-proof majorities. And President Trump, a week ago, called himself, ‘Mr. Veto.’”
Thatcher also doubts a full farm bill is in the cards this year despite ideas that Senate leaders will be able to attach it to the must-pass defense budget, the National Defense Authorization Act …
THATCHER … “To me, the only place to really tie it in is NDAA. And right now, I don’t know, I think if I were Amy Klobuchar, I’d say, ‘gosh, with these margins, why would I want to do any kind of compromise on SNAP.’”
Top Senate Ag Democrat and now Minnesota Governor-elect Klobuchar has led her party’s farm bill fight for more lenient penalties for state SNAP overpayments.
Thatcher predicts a fourth farm bill extension.
