AFIA Joins “Farm Bill Now!” Capitol Hill Rally
Although passage is unlikely before November's election
Nearly 80 national agriculture, hunger, conservation and other groups, including AFIA, rallied on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol last week, providing support to nearly a dozen members of Congress calling for completion of a 2012 Farm Bill before the current law expires September 30.
With less than a week of work time before Congress disappears for October campaigning, the likelihood of final congressional action is slim, and member after member used their microphone time at the “Farm Bill Now!” rally September 12, to lay out their party’s position, and most agreed a full five-year reauthorization bill will not be enacted before the election.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), speaking to reporters after the rally, said the House should take the few remaining days it’s in session this month and pass its committee-approved bill. This would allow staff to work up a draft conference report for consideration by members when they return for the November lame duck session. She’s optimistic if presented with a conference draft, agreement could be reached and final action taken before year’s end.
House Agriculture Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) said he continues to hope House leadership will clear the way for floor action despite other competing issues, but failing that he said lawmakers are likely to try for a short-term extension of current programs. House Minority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told a Washington, D.C., newspaper this week, leadership is considering a six-month extension of current programs but provided no details.
Still others in the House are recommending Congress simply allow the current Farm Bill to expire since many of the key programs within the farm package are separately authorized and would continue to operate. This option doesn’t set well with those who point out that without at least an extension, many programs would revert to the original 1949 law since all subsequent Farm Bills are amendments to the 1949 act. USDA, responding to questions about the possible reversion, said the impact wouldn’t be felt until early January, 2013, since it would take the department at least three months to accommodate the lack of contemporary authorities across a wide array of existing programs.
As to lame duck action, the outcome of the November 6 election will dictate in large part how much will get done on key issues takes place during the lame duck session. Lucas said he’s not crazy about doing a Farm Bill during lame duck because of what he calls the “winner-take-all” mindset of winning party members, a development he said that could kill some of the carefully crafted compromises in program rewrites crafted between the House and Senate committees. At the same time, he reminded folks if House and Senate leadership agree, and the White House steps aside, the House committee-approved bill could move “at the speed of light” directly to conference with the Senate-passed bill, adding the easiest way to get President Obama’s signature on the final product is to put it on his desk before the election.
