With time slipping away for legislative action before the current farm bill expires at the end of September, the House farm bill may get a second chance in June.
A chunk of Republican defections and zero Democratic support doomed the House farm bill on May 18, with the legislation defeated by 198 to 213.
The failure of the bill was assured by several “no” votes from Republican members of the Freedom Caucus, who wanted a vote on immigration issues before the farm bill was considered. House Democrats withheld their support because of the legislation’s changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that would have increased work requirements for some SNAP participants.
However, Roll Call reported May 22 that the U.S. House of Representatives may vote on the farm bill a second time on June 22, after it considers a conservative immigration bill sponsored by House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas.
Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance members have been in numerous meetings with both Republicans and Democrats in recent weeks, pushing for progress on the farm bill, said Mike Stuart, president of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association.
“We would like to see this farm bill get reauthorized before the deadline and we are off to a pretty good start with the House bill,” Stuart said May 24. “The chairman (House Agriculture Committee chairman Mike Conaway, R-Texas) is very interested in getting it across the finish line.”
Even as timing of the House farm bill remains in question, work on the farm bill is also now active in the Senate, Stuart said.
After it failed to pass May 18, House Republicans passed a rule that would enable them to bring back the farm bill for another vote, said Kam Quarles, vice president of public policy for the National Potato Council. He said it appears House Republican leaders are trying to make a deal with lawmakers in the House Freedom Caucus.
“Apparently the Freedom Caucus wants a vote on a conservative immigration bill before they would then consider the farm bill,” Quarles said May 24.
“That remains to be seen how that will play out,” he said, noting that the margin for error is very tight.
Quarles said the industry believes that immigration enforcement should be packaged with provisions for the undocumented population and the guest worker program.
“Everything has to be stood up in one package and the programs have to be implemented in a way that they don’t do damage to the U.S. economy.”
With summer recesses coming, Quarles said time is running out on passing a new farm bill before the current legislation expires at the end of September.
