Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 5/29/18
Critics and supporters alike are ramping up their efforts ahead of the next vote on the farm bill, but it is those who oppose the current House version who see more time on the clock as an advantage, Pro Ag's Helena Bottemiller Evich reports this morning.
Weeks to go: The House now has until June 22 to reconsider H.R. 2 (115) in its present form. But even that date for a vote remains up in the air amid Republican party infighting over the immigration issue.
Strengthening the 'no' group: The sprawling coalition that has opposed the House measure — which includes conservatives, taxpayer advocates, environmentalists, sustainable agriculture backers, and anti-hunger advocates — is working with a renewed focus to pick up more "no" votes over the next couple of weeks. They are targeting moderate Republicans as well as Freedom Caucus stalwarts.
"This gives us a month or two or three to pay attention to the farm bill," said Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat who is not a member of the House Agriculture Committee but has made overhauling the farm bill part of his platform. "For me, this is best-case."
Reality check: Even those who have been most heavily involved in this loose-knit coalition acknowledge that it wasn't their efforts that tanked the bill. But they are now seizing the opportunity before them.
Working on the 'yeses': Extra time, of course, also presents House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway with another chance to work on Republican members who voted "no" last time. The Texas Republican has said in recent days that he is confident the bill now has the 218 votes needed to pass.
The Farm Bureau has also stepped up its advocacy efforts, issuing a new action alert late last week. The group told POLITICO that its strategy has been twofold: Thank the lawmakers who voted in favor to shore up the votes in the "yes" column ahead of the second round of votes when it comes, and target rural Democrats by reminding them that voters can play a crucial role in elections.
|
