On Monday, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the House of Representatives will not hold any votes this week due to the mourning and funeral for the late President George H.W. Bush. The announcement means the farm bill will not move forward this week, and the conference report that was expected early this week is now anticipated early next week, according to the Hagstrom Report.
President Donald Trump has closed federal offices Wednesday, the day of Bush’s funeral. Trump is also threatening a government shutdown, but indicated over the weekend he may approve funding extensions because of the limited schedule this week, pushing contentious issues later into the month, while still providing an opportunity to sneak the farm bill through the system before highly political issues, including the border wall, are tackled. The schedule leaves a week of planned time for lawmakers to wrap up the year.
Source: National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service