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Conaway seeks farm bill price tag
Story Date: 1/19/2018
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Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 1/18/18
The House Agriculture Committee is waiting for an official 10-year estimate of its new draft of the farm bill, but remains on track to unveil the legislation by March, according to Chairman Mike Conaway.
The Texas Republican told Pro Ag's Catherine Boudreau that he needed to see a score from the Congressional Budget Office to make sure "we can afford the proposal" - highlighting how, in the politics of the farm bill, money talks.
Agriculture lawmakers are under no illusions that additional funding will be available for the next farm bill, so they are driving toward one that won't increase the federal deficit. The current 2014 farm bill is projected to cost about $875 billion over a decade, but the CBO is expected to update that estimate this month.
In Senate, effort to boost farm bill spending on hold: A yearslong attempt by cotton and dairy farmers to bolster their financial assistance - and thereby the farm bill baseline - seemed to be headed for the finish line after the House in December passed a $81 billion disaster relief bill (H.R. 4667 (115)). The package included a provision that would change cotton and dairy support programs. But that effort is in a holding pattern in the Senate, which is focused on other priorities, a staffer said.
Shutdown-showdown in the way: Republican leadership is trying to strike a deal with Democrats and the White House on immigration, which is crucial to passing a temporary government spending package by Friday to avoid a shutdown. As of Wednesday evening, the House did not have enough votes to pass a continuing resolution, but Speaker Paul Ryan was confident that leadership could whip enough votes by today, report POLITICO's John Bresnahan, Sarah Ferris and Heather Caygle.
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