Farm groups, tea party take different farm bill approaches
July 02, 2013 | 04:50 PM
More than 500 farm groups wrote House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, today to urge him to bring the full farm back to the House floor as soon as possible, while House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla. and ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., defended the single bill and Rep. Marlin Stutzman,R-Ind., said he believes he is making headway with his idea of splitting the bill into two.
“America’s agriculture, conservation, rural development, finance, forestry, energy and crop insurance companies and organizations strongly urge you to bring the farm bill (H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013) back to the floor as soon as possible,” 532 groups wrote Boehner.
“We believe that splitting the nutrition title from the rest of the bill could result in neither farm nor nutrition programs passing, and urge you to move a unified farm bill forward,” the letter said.
The letter was signed by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, all major commodity groups as well as banking, crop insurance and energy groups. It did not include signatures from anti-hunger groups, which have objected to any cuts to the food stamp program.
But Bob Greenstein of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities told The Hagstrom Report that the farm and nutrition programs should be kept in one bill. A single bill, Greenstein said, has produced sounder, more sustainable farm and nutrition policy.
Meanwhile, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., at home in his district, told his constituents he is under fire from special interests in Washington, the Tulsa World reported.
“I’m under attack by those people,” said Lucas. “They’re coming after me. They are all special interest groups that exist to sell subscriptions, to collect seminar fees and to perpetuate their goals.”
“You’ve got to understand: They don’t necessarily want a Republican president or a Republican Congress,” he continued. “… They made more money when (Democrat) Nancy (Pelosi) was speaker. … It’s a business.”
In Minnesota, House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., also said he would vote against a food stamp bill if it is separate from the farm bill, the Grand Forks Herald reported.
Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, suggested bringing up the bill without the amendment sponsored by Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., that imposed work requirements, DTN reported.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., told tea party activists from Americans for Prosperity that his colleagues are rallying behind the idea of splitting the bill, The Hill reported, and the Club for Growth said that splitting the bill will not be enough to get that group’s support, CQ Roll Call said.
“America’s agriculture, conservation, rural development, finance, forestry, energy and crop insurance companies and organizations strongly urge you to bring the farm bill (H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013) back to the floor as soon as possible,” 532 groups wrote Boehner.
“We believe that splitting the nutrition title from the rest of the bill could result in neither farm nor nutrition programs passing, and urge you to move a unified farm bill forward,” the letter said.
The letter was signed by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, all major commodity groups as well as banking, crop insurance and energy groups. It did not include signatures from anti-hunger groups, which have objected to any cuts to the food stamp program.
But Bob Greenstein of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities told The Hagstrom Report that the farm and nutrition programs should be kept in one bill. A single bill, Greenstein said, has produced sounder, more sustainable farm and nutrition policy.
Meanwhile, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., at home in his district, told his constituents he is under fire from special interests in Washington, the Tulsa World reported.
“I’m under attack by those people,” said Lucas. “They’re coming after me. They are all special interest groups that exist to sell subscriptions, to collect seminar fees and to perpetuate their goals.”
“You’ve got to understand: They don’t necessarily want a Republican president or a Republican Congress,” he continued. “… They made more money when (Democrat) Nancy (Pelosi) was speaker. … It’s a business.”
In Minnesota, House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., also said he would vote against a food stamp bill if it is separate from the farm bill, the Grand Forks Herald reported.
Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, suggested bringing up the bill without the amendment sponsored by Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., that imposed work requirements, DTN reported.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., told tea party activists from Americans for Prosperity that his colleagues are rallying behind the idea of splitting the bill, The Hill reported, and the Club for Growth said that splitting the bill will not be enough to get that group’s support, CQ Roll Call said.
- Coalition Letter to Boehner
- Grand Forks Herald — U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson says farm bill was sabotaged
- DTN Ag Policy Blog — Senior Iowa congressman hopes for path forward on farm bill
- The Hill — Lawmaker pushing to split farm bill finding ‘a lot of interest’ in GOP
- Roll Call — Farm bill’s failure poisons well in House
- Tulsa World — Lucas tells constituents he’s ‘under fire’ from ‘special interest groups’
