Rural representatives in the House are aggressively lobbying their colleagues, hoping to build bipartisan support for the floundering farm bill.
For the last year, the farm bill has been stalled in Congress. Last summer saw the Senate and the House Agriculture Committee pass versions of the 2012 Farm Bill, only to be thwarted by the Republican leadership in the House. With Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Speaker John Boehner refusing to allow debate or a vote, the bill died in committee.
Congress is attempting to rectify that mistake this summer. Already versions of the farm bill are coming up for debate in the Senate and in the House.
While Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow seems confident that the bill will pass the upper house, Representatives are worried about the bill’s support in the lower chamber.
Republicans, upset by the bill’s nearly $100 billion price tag, are being courted by conservative groups who oppose increasing federal spending. Democratic support for the bill is also unsteady. With the bill making deep cuts to federal nutritional programs, many Democrats see the farm bill as another attempt by conservatives to cut the social safety net in the US.
Rural representatives on both sides of the aisle are urging their colleagues to support the bill, warning them that failure to pass a comprehensive agriculture bill could result in a major farm failure similar to what was seen in the 1980s.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer