Funding to keep the government open runs out this Friday…and agriculture and other industries face what they don’t like most—uncertainty…
The only thing certain about Washington is, there’s always “uncertainty.” Hear American Farm Bureau budget adviser RJ Karney talk about the possibility.
New programs are delayed and some existing programs not expanded, making producer decisions much harder. And Karney says the clock is “ticking” for Congress and the president to resolve immigration and other issues and get the votes to keep the government open.
House and Senate Ag spending bills, which hinge on a budget deal, do things including protect the Farm Service Agency and USDA farm loan programs, keep open national ag laboratories like one in Peoria, Illinois, slated for closure, and make new investments in the organic industry.
But further budget delays could also slow action on a disaster assistance package that won the House, but not Senate approval, and has fixes for cotton and dairy programs that are key for doing a new farm bill.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.