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Conaway the farm bill salesman
Story Date: 4/20/2018
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Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 4/19/18
The House Agriculture Committee cleared the farm bill along party lines Wednesday after hours of heated complaints from Democrats, mostly about changes to SNAP. Chairman Mike Conaway must now sell the plan to his conference.
Democrats dig in: The five-hour markup was tense and partisan through much of the debate, which was heavily centered on the nutrition title of the bill, H.R. 2 (115). Democrats railed against the SNAP proposal to strengthen employment and training requirements as mean, cruel and un-American. "I don't think the Lord is pleased with what we're doing today," said Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.).
A stoic response: The chairman was stoic during hours of harsh criticism, including when Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) suggested the bill could be seen as racially motivated to target African-American men. "My job is to get a bill across the floor, not respond to individual attacks or insinuations," Conaway told reporters after the markup, adding: "I'm focused on getting this across the floor."
Boosters in the mix: Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) was one of the most vocal boosters of the bill during the debate. Davis argued that it was actually "cruel" to not do more to help SNAP recipients get out of poverty.
Several Republicans sat through the bulk of markup, however, and did not offer an impassioned defense of the bill. But House Speaker Paul Ryan views the farm bill as part of his welfare overhaul goals and applauded the effort to modernize SNAP.
Conaway eyes May: The Texas Republican told reporters he's hoping to bring the bill to the floor in May, although the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act will be taking up time on the floor in coming weeks.
"We're going to work with leadership," Conaway said. "I've also got to find 215 other votes," he added. "Part of this process on timing on the floor will be dictated by how well I'm able to sell this to my colleagues." Pros, catch up on the markup in an article by Pro Ag's Helena Bottemiller Evich here.
Party people: Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said House Republicans abandoned the bipartisan coalition of farmers, conservationists, nutrition advocates and representatives of rural communities needed to get a farm bill done.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Democrats can't back the farm bill because it fails to include enough support for agricultural producers. She added that the SNAP proposal would waste taxpayer money on "vast, untested and unworkable bureaucracies" that will increase hunger and poverty.
Ag groups split from rest of farm bill coalition: Many commodity groups -- including those representing the dairy, corn, wheat and beef sectors -- applauded the House Agriculture Committee's work and said they would continue to talk with lawmakers about their top priorities. The American Farm Bureau Federation said the committee's approval of the bill was "great news."
Other interests, including the National Young Farmers Coalition, National Farmers Union, environmental advocates and anti-hunger groups all expressed strong opposition. NFU said the bill wouldn't provide an adequate safety net for farmers or support local, regional and specialty markets.
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