Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are hoping that they can form a unified front over the farm bill during next week conference committee. With conflicting bills having passed the House and Senate, members of both houses will need to agree on a single bill before it can be passed in Congress once again and sent to the White House.
The farm bill’s progress through Congress has been excruciatingly slow for more than a year. With congressional leaders paralyzed by partisan infighting, the farm bill is just the most recent casualty in an ongoing fight over the social safety net and government funding.
Despite partisan bickering, the farm bill has managed to be passed by both houses in one form or another. With congressional leaders having finally named a conferral committee charged with merging the two bills into a single, unified piece of legislation, some farmers finally have hope that the bill can at last be passed.
Lawmakers are hoping to allay fears that yet another farm bill negotiation is on the brink of collapse. Rural politicians on both sides of the aisles are promising swift, bipartisan action. “I really think we are on a separate track,” one aide said. “There is momentum.”
“We want to be prepared and get it wrapped up as soon as possible for whatever comes,” a Senate aide said.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer