The farm bill conference committee’s first public meeting Wednesday came with just ten legislative days to complete and pass a new farm bill. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts chairs the committee, working on now his eighth farm bill as a lawmaker. In his opening statement, Roberts told the committee: “Time is of the essence. Let us work together to …
Pre-Conference Committee Farm Bill Discussions Get Heated in House
The U.S. House could take a step forward on moving farm bill talks ahead by voting to send the bill to conference. However, Politico says Thursday was the latest indicator that the bad blood between House Ag leaders is one of the many issues that need to be fixed. House Ag Chair Mike Conaway and Ranking Member Collin Peterson met …
Ranking House Ag Member Peterson Welcomes Senate Farm Bill
House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson of Minnesota welcomed farm bill text released by the Senate Agriculture Committee. In a statement released prior to Wednesday’s planned markup of the bill, Peterson applauded the Senate for its bipartisan approach and expressed hope that the House would bring a similarly bipartisan bill to conference. Notably, Peterson says the Senate bill “avoids …
Peterson: New Farm Bill Must Protect Against Trade Retaliation
House Ag Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson says that American tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will generate retaliation that will hit farm exports hard. As a result, he’ll be working with House and Senate Ag Committee leaders on a new farm bill to protect farmers from “the market fluctuations caused by these actions.” A USDA spokesman says President Trump …
Peterson: Pelosi Didn’t Direct Farm Bill, but Ryan May Have
Republicans in the House have accused Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of pushing Democrats on the House Agricultural Committee to oppose the House version of the farm bill. The biggest objection is over proposed changes to the nutrition title. However, ranking member Collin Peterson of Minnesota told the Hagstrom Report that he hadn’t discussed the farm bill with her until last …
Peterson Introduces MPP Replacement Program
House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson this week introduced the Dairy Risk Management Act. Peterson says the legislation would provide dairy farmers with a strong safety net to address volatile market conditions outside of their control. The act would replace the Margin Protection Program with the Dairy Risk Management Program. Peterson says dairy farmers from his congressional district and …
Farm Bill Talks Hit a Snag
House farm bill talks have hit a snag over the key issue of food stamp eligibility requirements. The top House Ag Democrat is balking at a GOP farm bill proposal to add new work requirements to be eligible for food stamps, requirements that Senate Ag members are unlikely to accept. Collin Peterson issued a statement after sharing details with the …
House Democrats Want to Review Farm Bill Draft
Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee have asked ranking member Collin Peterson to stop negotiating on the farm bill until Chairman Mike Conaway releases the bill to the full committee. Roll Call reports Peterson is heeding the request, and says the move “will give the members information about what is actually being proposed.” The proposed farm bill reportedly included many …
Peterson: House Ag Plans Farm Bill Mark-up Soon
Ranking House Agriculture Committee Democrat Collin Peterson says the committee plans to mark up the farm bill on March 20th, but a revolt over food stamp provisions could stop the bill from moving forward. The Hagstrom Report says Peterson and Committee Chairman Mike Conaway had “hit an impasse” regarding the nutrition title, and a spokesperson for Conaway could not confirm …
Peterson Likes Senate Tax Bill Better Than House Version
House Ag Committee ranking member Collin Peterson says the Senate tax bill is closer to something he can support than the House Bill. The Minnesota Democrat hopes changes will be made so he can support the conference report. Peterson tells the Hagstrom Report that he supports lowering corporate tax rates but not at the expense of raising taxes on individuals. …