Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 9/14/18

Farm bill negotiations on Thursday reached new partisan highs — or lows, depending on how you look at it. President Donald Trump interjected himself into the debate on Twitter by accusing Senate Agriculture ranking member Debbie Stabenow and Democrats of intentionally hamstringing conference talks because of opposition to the House version's new work requirements for SNAP recipients.

Trump has sent a number of farm bill tweets, but this is the first time he's singled out a lawmaker to blame for the tough slog in the discussions. Stabenow and the rest of the "Big Four" coalition — Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts, House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway and ranking member Collin Peterson — have been holding closed-door negotiations for weeks but still remain far apart as they try to reach a deal on H.R. 2 (115) ahead of the Sept. 30 expiration.

Fact check: Trump didn't single out Roberts, a fellow Republican, who also doesn't favor language on the expanded work requirements. Roberts has said many times that there would be no shot at getting the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster in the Senate with such a provision.

Stabenow's response: The Michigan Democrat retorted, also via Twitter, that the Senate version enjoyed bipartisan support by a wide margin, 86-11. (The House version, as Pro's Farm Bill Watch tracker outlines, didn't pass the first time and only squeaked through a second time by two votes.) "I'm not letting politics distract me from working across the aisle to finalize a good bill that will deliver certainty for farmers and families in Michigan and across the country," she tweeted.

Conaway shoots back: The Texas Republican, who said he appreciated Trump's message, had some choice words for Stabenow, Pro Ag's Liz Crampton reports. "She's got to come to the table, and so far from my perspective, I'm not getting the kind of negotiating out of her that gets us to a deal," he said.

He also said the responsibility for passing a farm bill rests with the Big Four. "If we can't deliver that, then the reasons why need to be fully vetted so that [farmers] understand exactly who supports them and who doesn't," Conaway said.

Where it stands: Both Roberts and Conaway said that a late-night Wednesday meeting resulted in some "progress" but didn't explain further. The Big Four are set to have a phone call on Friday; the two House Ag Committee leaders might come back to D.C. next week to hold more in-person meetings while the lower chamber is on recess.