Senate Ag Committee Chair Pat Roberts is also chair of the House-Senate Farm Bill Conference Committee. The Hagstrom Report says Roberts feels Congress is running out of time to finish the farm bill conference report before the current bill expires on September 30th. He’s asking House Ag Chair Michael Conaway and Ranking Member Collin Peterson to remain in Washington, in …
Farm Bill Passage On-time Uncertain
Time to finish the farm bill before the September 30th deadline is running out. House and Senate ag leaders are working to quickly iron out differences between the two versions of the bill, but many believed the conference committee needed to wrap up this week to get a bill on-time. The Senate adjourned Wednesday night until Monday, and the House …
Key Week for Farm Bill
It’s a key week for the 2018 farm bill. House and Senate staff and principal negotiators are trying to bridge differences in time to pass a compromise bill back through both chambers and get it on the president’s desk by the end of the month, when the current law expires. Key Week for Farm Bill-1 Andrew Walmsley, American Farm Bureau …
Senate Ag Leaders Question USDA Reorganization
Leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee are expressing concerns over the Department of Agriculture’s reorganization plans. Senators Pat Roberts and Debbie Stabenow wrote Secretary Sonny Perdue recently, noting that stakeholders have expressed concerns over the USDA plan to place economics functions under the Office of the Secretary and to move most of the employees of the Economic Research Service and …
Gap Remains in Farm Bill Talks Over SNAP
Senate Ag Committee Leaders said the farm bill compromise offered by House Ag Chair Michael Conaway doesn’t go far enough. Politico says Conaway described it as a “significant compromise.” The disagreement has slowed the efforts to reconcile the House and Senate Farm Bills. Senate Ag Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow says the offer isn’t even close to something that the Senate …
Farm Bill Conference Committee Meets
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 …
Farm Bill Conference Committee to Meet Wednesday
Farm Bill conferees selected from the House and Senate will meet for the first time Wednesday, September 5, in hopes of reaching common ground on the 2018 legislation and ironing out the differences between their respective versions of the legislation. Top lawmakers on the committee did meet last week, ahead of the first formal meeting. Senate Ag Committee Chairman Pat …
Farm Bill Differences Remain
Lawmakers met this week on the farm bill, making “good progress.” However, major differences remain between the House and Senate bills that the conference committee will address next week. Congress returns next week with 16 days in-session scheduled for the Senate in September, and 11 in-session days in the House of Representatives. That means differences in the farm bill must …
Top Ag Lawmakers Meet Ahead of Farm Bill Conference
The top lawmakers on the farm bill conference committee met this week, ahead of the first formal meeting next week. The farm bill conference is set to meet September 5th, in the first public meeting likely dominated by posturing and speeches. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts told Politico that he, Senate Agriculture ranking member Debbie Stabenow, House Agriculture Committee …
Farm Bill Conference Meeting Date Set
The farm bill conference committee will meet September 5th, according to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts. Roberts will chair the farm bill conference. The conference is set for one day after lawmakers return from the Labor Day Recess. Roberts also says committee staff members have made progress on the differences in the two bills on conservation, but not on …