Agricultural lobbyists on K-Street are reportedly stunned at the failure of the House of Representatives to pass the 2013 Farm Bill.
For more than a year, the farm bill has been mired in a partisan quagmire in the House. While last summer saw the Senate and the House Agriculture Committee pass versions of the farm bill, House Republican leadership kept the bill off the House floor.
When Speaker John Boehner pledged to bring the 2013 bill to a vote last month, many farmers assumed that their lobbying efforts had paid off. This optimism has been tempered by the recent defeat of the farm bill, a defeat that has stunned many members of K-Street’s lobbying elite.
“We were shocked. We were watching the vote on TV and in the final minutes were saying ‘what are they doing? This thing isn’t going to pass!’ ” said one commodity group lobbyist.
With politicians on both sides defecting at the last minute and with the long-time power of agricultural lobbyists seemingly broken, the failure of the farm bill is yet another sign of the agricultural sector’s declining influence in American politics.
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmloans.com.
Follow us on: Twitter
Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer