Stabenow: Farm bill conference starts week of October 28
October 16, 2013 | 09:25 PM
The House-Senate conference on the farm bill is likely to begin the week of October 28, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., told The Hagstrom Report tonight after the Senate voted to reopen the government and begin a budget process.
Although the Senate schedule has not been officially announced, congressional aides said that the Senate is expected to adjourn late tonight and go back into session on October 28.
Congress was supposed to be out of session this week for a Columbus Day break but has been in session to deal with the government shutdown and the debt ceiling, and members are eager to return to their states.
Stabenow said that “it’s possible” the farm bill will be added to the budget bill, but warned that the greatest issue would be whether the House and the Senate reach an agreement on the budget.
“No other part of the government has offered the budget savings that agriculture has,” Stabenow noted.
As a member of the Senate Budget Committee, Stabenow said she expects to be a conferee on the budget as well as being the top Senate Democrat on the farm bill conference.
Stabenow noted that the two positions “go very well together” and that the budget conference will deal with “top line” expenditures and revenues, including agriculture mandatory spending such as food stamps and farm subsidies.
Stabenow said she is certain that the farm bill conferees will come to an agreement, but not certain about the budget conferees. Whether the farm bill could be attached to the budget bill would depend on “how it is done,” she said.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., will chair the farm bill conference.
Stabenow, Lucas, Senate Agriculture ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and House Agriculture ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., met today for the first time since the House agreed last weekend to go to conference with the Senate and appointed conferees.
Stabenow said today’s meeting primarily was about process and that the first meeting will allow conferees to make opening statements and talk about the process.
The Senate vote on the continuing resolution to open the government was 81 to 18. The House is expected to vote on the same bill late tonight.
Although the Senate schedule has not been officially announced, congressional aides said that the Senate is expected to adjourn late tonight and go back into session on October 28.
Congress was supposed to be out of session this week for a Columbus Day break but has been in session to deal with the government shutdown and the debt ceiling, and members are eager to return to their states.
Stabenow said that “it’s possible” the farm bill will be added to the budget bill, but warned that the greatest issue would be whether the House and the Senate reach an agreement on the budget.
“No other part of the government has offered the budget savings that agriculture has,” Stabenow noted.
As a member of the Senate Budget Committee, Stabenow said she expects to be a conferee on the budget as well as being the top Senate Democrat on the farm bill conference.
Stabenow noted that the two positions “go very well together” and that the budget conference will deal with “top line” expenditures and revenues, including agriculture mandatory spending such as food stamps and farm subsidies.
Stabenow said she is certain that the farm bill conferees will come to an agreement, but not certain about the budget conferees. Whether the farm bill could be attached to the budget bill would depend on “how it is done,” she said.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., will chair the farm bill conference.
Stabenow, Lucas, Senate Agriculture ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and House Agriculture ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., met today for the first time since the House agreed last weekend to go to conference with the Senate and appointed conferees.
Stabenow said today’s meeting primarily was about process and that the first meeting will allow conferees to make opening statements and talk about the process.
The Senate vote on the continuing resolution to open the government was 81 to 18. The House is expected to vote on the same bill late tonight.
