Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 9/19/18

There are just four combined legislative days remaining in September, but top appropriators aren't giving up on finishing work on a four-bill minibus spending package that would include funds for USDA and FDA. A final version of the legislation, H.R. 6147 (115), is being negotiated by a House and Senate conference committee. Staff-level talks over the package continued Tuesday with House members out of town for a weeklong recess.

"Sounds like from everything I understand, with a modest level of cooperation, those bills could also be completed," Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a top appropriator who previously chaired the Agriculture-FDA Subcommittee, said on the floor.

What's the holdup? One of the last outstanding issues in the Agriculture-FDA measure was disagreement between lawmakers and the Trump administration over a House provision that would give USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service regulatory jurisdiction over cell-based meat and poultry products, rather than FDA.

The agencies have been engaged in a turf war over which entity should regulate the nascent industry. House and Senate conferees on both sides support the language giving control to USDA, but the White House wants time and flexibility to work out the interagency dispute, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.

Current status: Aides involved in the talks have said a conference agreement could be reached by the end of September, but it remains to be seen whether a potential deal would come in time to clear the final legislation before Sept. 30.

Either way, there's little chance of a shutdown at USDA or FDA. The Senate passed a separate spending package Tuesday that includes a continuing resolution for all agencies whose new appropriations aren't approved on time, and the House is expected to clear it next week.

Sen. Pat Leahy, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, also said conferees were "very close to an agreement," and he stressed the urgency of passing new USDA funding.

"Look at the agriculture bill — critical support for our country's farmers," Leahy said on the floor. "Every state in this union has rural communities ... and farm economies. They benefit from these programs. They shouldn't have to operate under a CR."