House and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairmen Mike Conaway (R-Texas) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Ranking Members Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) released the text of the bipartisan, bicameral 2018 Farm Bill conference report. “America’s farmers and ranchers are weathering the fifth year of severe recession, so passing a farm bill this week that strengthens the farm safety net …
Long Awaited Tax Reform Nearing Reality
Comprehensive tax reform, supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation, could soon cross the finish line. The House and Senate have both passed their own versions of tax reform bills. According to AFBF senior congressional relations director Pat Wolff, the biggest difference for agriculture is how pass-through business income will be treated, income reported by farmers and ranchers who file …
House/Senate Negotiating Differences in Tax Bill
House and Senate tax writers are moving quickly to negotiate differences between their two chambers’ bills, with one of the most sensitive, a tax break for ag and other small businesses. Among the biggest and most politically-sensitive differences between the two tax bills is the treatment of so-called “pass-through” businesses — a huge number in agriculture — that file returns …
House Debates Ag Spending Bills as Fiscal Battle Looms
House lawmakers began debating bills on Wednesday to fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. Politico’s Morning Ag Report says the funding would be for all of the fiscal year 2018 and be part of a package of eight government spending bills. The ag appropriations bill would set aside $20 billion in discretionary funding for …