Remember all those grand announcements in 2022? House Majority Ag Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson repeatedly promised to pass the Farm Bill on time, pledging that his committee would do its job.
Well, so much for pledges. In the House, there is no bill. Speaker Mike Johnson has proposed an extension of the Farm Bill that expired September 30 and is only on life support for six more days. This is a start, but Speaker Mike’s Hard Right allies are calling for big cuts in the food programs while they work hard to end any programs that might help farmers take better care of their land.
The Farm Bill is huge. It ties the Agriculture sector’s economic interests with the needs of low-income Americans and rural districts’ priorities to cities’ priorities. There is a lot to do, and some of the Farm Bill’s traditional allies are missing, e.g., Diane Feinstein who passed, and Kevin McCarthy, who lost his power. Feinstein and McCarthy were helpful to more than California.