As lawmakers return to Washington this week, they’re facing dwindling time to pull together a “skinny” farm bill at the urging of farmers and powerful agriculture groups before the end of the year.
Industry lobbyists are gearing up to pressure lawmakers to pass critical farm and nutrition policies that Republicans couldn’t include in their “big, beautiful bill.” But some are already bracing for talks to be pushed into next year, according to four lobbyists and industry representatives, all of whom were granted anonymity to discuss the private negotiations.
“There’s pessimism right now. There’s just been no signals [of progress],” one of them said.
“I think that they still have issues to work through as far as the consequences of the big, beautiful bill,” the person added, referring to cracks in the traditionally bipartisan farm bill coalition that many Democrats felt was eroded during reconciliation talks.
“I have been clear from the start that if Republicans cut the nutrition title of the farm bill, which is what we consider them having done, that it is going to be difficult to get 100 to 150 Democrats. Impossible,” House Ag ranking member Angie Craig (D-Minn.) said in July.
One person familiar with the development of the farm bill package said staffers are still in the early stages of drafting the bill and “a little bit behind” where they expected to be — given that House Ag Chair G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) is hoping to advance the bill out of committee this month.
Adding to the pressure to secure new farm policy, and new market opportunities, is a record-high yield of crops including corn expected this fall, illustrating farmers’ resilience in the face of economic headwinds but also exposing them to the threat of lower prices resulting from too much supply.
The committee will also need the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to estimate spending on the farm bill, a process that has stalled ag policy discussions in the past.
The House Ag Committee already has an outline for a farm bill from the version it voted on last year, but many of the policies will need updating. Many of the controversial provisions that stalled talks last year were included in the megabill that President Donald Trump signed into law in July.
Lawmakers will still need to handle some contentious issues in the farm bill, including how to address California’s animal welfare law Proposition 12, a hemp regulatory loophole created in the 2018 farm bill and pesticide provisions, according to the person familiar with the talks.
Thompson has created some goodwill with House GOP leadership after meeting its demand for spending cuts during reconciliation negotiations, which Thompson said he hopes will garner sufficient support to get the farm bill across the finish line this year, the person added.
(As you’ll recall, the bill that advanced out of committee in May 2024 didn’t receive a full floor vote.)
As they wait to see more public signs of progress, farm groups are planning fly-ins, Hill meetings and campaigns to push for their priorities, the industry representatives told MA.
“The long-term certainty comes with the full reauthorization and improvement of the full farm bill,” said one of the four industry representatives. “So, we’re going to be kicking and screaming through the rest of the year to get that done.”
Source: Politico.com
