Senators say bring up their farm bill, but Peterson says no
June 21, 2013 | 03:02 PM
While most House members and farm lobbyists were lying low, licking their wounds and trying to figure out a path forward on the farm bill that failed to pass the House on Thursday, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and some other senators suggested that the House bring up the Senate bill.
“The House needs to find a way to get a five-year farm bill done,” Stabenow said in a news release late Thursday. “The speaker needs to work in a bipartisan way and present a bill that Democrats and Republicans can support. He could start by bringing the Senate bill to the floor for a vote.”
“Maintaining the status quo means no reform, no deficit reduction, and further uncertainty that slows growth in our agriculture industry,” she added. “This is totally unacceptable.”
But when a reporter asked House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., on Thursday about bringing up the Senate bill, Peterson said it would get even fewer votes that the amended House Agriculture Committee-passed bill that members had rejected by a vote of 234 against to 195 in favor.
“The House needs to find a way to get a five-year farm bill done,” Stabenow said in a news release late Thursday. “The speaker needs to work in a bipartisan way and present a bill that Democrats and Republicans can support. He could start by bringing the Senate bill to the floor for a vote.”
“Maintaining the status quo means no reform, no deficit reduction, and further uncertainty that slows growth in our agriculture industry,” she added. “This is totally unacceptable.”
But when a reporter asked House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., on Thursday about bringing up the Senate bill, Peterson said it would get even fewer votes that the amended House Agriculture Committee-passed bill that members had rejected by a vote of 234 against to 195 in favor.
