WELCOME TO THE 119TH: After passing a farm bill extension in a stopgap funding deal in December, lawmakers will have to get back to the bargaining table this year to hammer out a farm bill reauthorization as other policy fights are brewing. Republican leaders Senate Ag Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) and House Ag Chair G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) said last summer that they were hopeful that GOP election victories would boost their chances of pushing through major Republican priorities in the next farm bill. “The committee's going to be working really hard to get it done,” Boozman told your host last month. Those priorities include proposals to significantly expand farm safety net programs and boost crop reference prices — both popular among traditional commodity groups. The farm bill stalled in 2024 due to partisan disagreements over nutrition and climate policies that Republican negotiators could push past with a GOP trifecta in Washington. Dems at a disadvantage: Democrats are in a tough spot with the farm bill talks pushed into 2025. Top Ag committee Democrats in both chambers, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), are new to those elevated roles and will have to take over the high-stakes discussions. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), the former Senate Ag chair, told your host last month that she has no doubt Klobuchar will “work hard” to secure a new farm bill. “The challenge is to try to get back to regular order when doing a five year farm bill with all the policies of the farm bill, not just farm payments, but all the policies from research and trade and nutrition. I think they're going to have a challenge during all of it.” Minnesota’s ag power: Klobuchar and Craig both represent Minnesota, a large agriculture-production state for traditional commodities like beef, pork, corn and soy. Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.) said last month that Craig is also a “champion” for rural broadband access, biofuels, and federal support for young and beginning farmers. “I know Angie will be a good negotiator, and so I'm excited about that. I also think she has a vision for the committee — as Democrats, we need to be re-engaging with rural America,” Budzinski said. Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) told MA he hopes Craig will bring a new bipartisan work ethic to the House Ag Committee. “You know what? You can't have enough Midwest, and Minnesota is a great part of the Midwest,” Nunn said. “Angie is somebody who we may not always agree with, but she is somebody who's always put ag first and foremost in her mind, and I think that goes a long way to being a good partner on effective ag policy that takes care of family farms and national security,” he added. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said she thinks Klobuchar and Craig are going to “do a great job” in their new roles. “It'll be wonderful that Minnesota and upper Midwestern voices are heard loud and clear,” Smith told your host. “I know that both [Klobuchar and Craig] will be very fair and have deep relationships with groups all over the country so they'll do a great job.” CRYPTO WATCH: Cryptocurrency firms spent big in 2024 to deliver a GOP-controlled Washington — and they got it. Now, the policy is starting to come into focus, meaning agriculture committees in both chambers will have to decide how to approach crypto regulation in 2025, our Eleanor Mueller writes. The House and Senate Agriculture chairs will have a say on any bill that would divide oversight of digital assets between the SEC and the CFTC. Boozman’s prep: Boozman has already met with incoming to talk crypto last month, spokesperson Sara Lasure told Eleanor — and is weighing the creation of a new panel that could take the lead on legislation. “Senator Boozman is considering everything, including the idea of creating a more CFTC-focused subcommittee given the important risk management function derivatives markets serve, and the continued growth of the digital asset marketplace,” Lasure said. She added that “this is a conversation Senator Boozman will be having in the coming weeks with members of the Senate Ag Committee.”
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment