Lawmakers are working on other parts of the reconciliation package, where changes are likely on the way, which tackles several large parts of the Farm Bill. It is why Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is asking his colleagues to leave politics at the door.
“Just get this stuff out of the way, because we’ve been negligent in not passing a farm bill in ’23 and ’24, so we’ll just have to play it by ear. I’m sure Boozman’s moving ahead, and then we’ll find out about Democrats obstructing, and if they do, it’ll be the first time a five-year farm bill’s ever been done in a partisan way.”
Farmers across the Corn Belt are looking for answers as well. The Iowa Farm Bureau is calling on lawmakers to get the conversations started.
“If we pass all of our fiscal responsibilities in this reconciliation package, the real question becomes when or if, and how do we pass a consolidated farm bill in the future and those policies that are left in the lurch? How do we move those things forward, things like interstate commerce, year-round E15, and some of those things that aren’t fiscally connected,” said Brent Johnson, president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.
Johnson says it is time for a new Farm Bill, warning that safety nets need major attention. Senate Majority Leader John Thune tells us that he hopes to get the reconciliation package to the President’s desk before Independence Day.
