New Farm Bill Top of Mind as 119th Congress Begins

By Ryan Hanrahan

American Ag Network’s Jesse Allen reported Thursday that Sam Kieffer, Vice President of Public Policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said that “once the new Congress is sworn in (today) on January 3, they’ve got to get to work right away. ‘They need to get back to the business of doing a Farm Bill.’”

“‘We’ve been kicking the can down the road for the better part of two years,’ Kieffer said,” according to Allen’s reporting. “‘Congress also has to deal with expiring tax provisions before the end of 2025. Not to mention, there’s a number of regulatory oversight opportunities for members of Congress. They also need to figure out the budget, and the current budget only goes until March.'”

“‘We’ve been working with the Trump transition since Election Day letting them know where farmers and ranchers are on policy issues and what their wants and needs might be,’ says Kieffer,” according to Allen’s reporting. “‘As we look to the new Congress, we’ve been hitting the ground for the last several months, getting ready to focus on the tax issues, continue the conversation on the farm bill, and make sure that the regulatory oversight opportunities get some attention paid to them.'”

Brownfield Ag New’s Mark Dorenkamp reported at the end of December that “the next Ranking Member of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee says completing a new farm bill is her number one priority. Minnesota Democrat Angie Craig tells Brownfield she’s disappointed that didn’t happen during the last Congress.”

“‘This is fair warning though to everybody, unless my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are going to sit down and negotiate a bipartisan farm bill, my concern is we’re going to be at a disadvantage and not able to get one in the next Congress,'” Craig said according to Dorenkamp’s reporting. “She says Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding remains a sticking point.”

Farm Bill Top of Mind for Lobbyists, too

The Hill’s Taylor Giorno reported Thursday that “lobbyists will have their hands full with several massive legislative battles coming early in a second Trump administration.”

“President-elect Trump is poised to disrupt business as usual in Washington when he takes office on Jan. 20, threatening steep tariffs on U.S. imports that could hit foreign allies and enemies and the businesses that utilize international supply chains,” Giorno reported. “…Congress has also been punting the five-year agriculture funding package, known as the ‘farm bill,’ for two years. Republicans have been pushing to cut nutrition programs to free up more funding for farmers whose livelihoods have been disrupted by higher prices and extreme weather, a ‘false choice,’ according to Vince Hall, chief government relations officer at Feeding America.”

“In the end-of-year funding package, Congress included a second consecutive one-year extension to the 2018 farm bill,” Giorno reported. “The farm bill funds agricultural and nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which usually receive the largest share of farm bill funding.”

“Republicans have proposed cuts to nutrition programs and conservation funding in the Inflation Reduction Act to free up more money for farmers hit by higher prices and extreme weather. But anti-hunger advocates such as Feeding America, a nonprofit network of 200 food banks, were lobbying up to defend nutrition programs even before the election,” Giorno reported. “Feeding America strongly advocates for nutrition programs like the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides monthly food boxes to low-income seniors. But they also fight for the farmers with which they partner.”

House of Reps Speaker Election Today

The Hill’s Emily Brooks reported that “House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) heads to the House floor on Friday in hopes of being formally reelected Speaker.”

“While Johnson has the endorsement of President-elect Trump to remain Speaker, one Republican is pledging to oppose him, and several others are not committing to supporting Johnson. That has raised questions about whether he can win enough votes to keep his gavel, given the House GOP’s razor-thin majority,” Brooks reported. “In short, Johnson can only afford to lose one Republican vote for Speaker — assuming every member is present and voting for a candidate. But the details can get complicated.”

“On the first day of the new Congress on Friday, there are expected to be 219 Republicans, 215 Democrats, and one vacancy given that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) says he will not return to take his seat, putting the total number of members at 434,” Brooks reported. “Since a majority of 434 is 218, that means Johnson needs 218 votes in order to win the Speakership, assuming every member is present and voting for a candidate.”