Lucas, Stabenow hope for farm bill agreement this week
November 19, 2013 | 06:59 PM
“This is the deadline week” for the farm bill, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., told reporters today while Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said she hopes a “framework” can be released “by the end of the week or very shortly thereafter.”
Lucas said that he, Stabenow, House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Senate Agriculture ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., need to reach agreement by the end of this week.
He said that would allow the bill to be prepared for the House to take it up before December 13, when that chamber is scheduled to depart for the holidays. And then the Senate could take it up the following week before it goes out of session on December 20, and President Barack Obama could sign the measure by December 31.
Lucas was referring to a congressional schedule under which the House is scheduled to leave Washington on Thursday for a Thanksgiving recess, return December 2 and go out of session for the year on December 13.
The Senate’s official calendar ended November 11, but congressional aides have said the Senate is expected to leave town Friday and return December 9 through 20.
Both Stabenow and Lucas were very cautious in predicting whether the conferees would be able to reach a basic agreement.
“We’re in the middle of everything,” Stabenow said. “One thing depends on another. It’s a big Rubrik’s Cube.”
She added that the conference report is “a tough set of things to put together,” but that the conferees are open to compromise.
Stabenow met with reporters after an event on advanced biofuels and the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to lower the Renewable Fuel Standard volumetric requirements.
Lucas, who met with reporters following a 1:45 p.m. floor vote on an unrelated matter, said that while he believes that there needs to be agreement this week, “We not there yet.”
He added that the conferees do not have “a common number” on cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP or food stamps. Lucas noted that the Senate-passed bill cuts only $4 billion and that the House bill would cut $39 billion.
“We’ve got to have real progress,” said Lucas, who met with Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., on the House floor for about 20 minutes while the vote was taking place.
But Lucas also said that the conferees “have had some pretty thorough discussions of all parts of the farm bill.”
The only subject that conferees have not discussed, Lucas said, is the proposal to make changes to country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for red meat. Lucas said he believes that discussion would be left for a public meeting of conferees.
Lucas also said that the decline in commodity prices and EPA’s decision to lower the RFS requirements intensify the need to finish the farm bill. (See following story.)
Asked if he was optimistic about finishing the bill this year, Lucas said he is “hopeful,” but added, “But I’m hopeful for how many years now?”
In his statements, Lucas was obviously keeping the pressure on Congress to finish the bill this year. Asked about finishing the bill in January, he said “producers need certainty,” but added that Congress needs a deadline because “this is a body” that can turn an hour into a day and a day into a month.
Twice Lucas signaled that he is running out of patience with the decision-making process.
“I deserve to get off my Zantac, figuratively speaking,” Lucas told reporters, referring to a popular over-the-counter drug for acid indigestion. Later, he added that he also wants to be able to sleep through the night.
Asked about an extension, Lucas urged reporters to ask Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that question and “watch his eyes” as he contemplates implementing the 1938 and 1949 permanent laws that would go into effect. An extension might be needed if Congress doesn’t finish the bill, but he noted that in the past extensions have been passed for one week at a time.
Lucas said that he, Stabenow, House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Senate Agriculture ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., need to reach agreement by the end of this week.
He said that would allow the bill to be prepared for the House to take it up before December 13, when that chamber is scheduled to depart for the holidays. And then the Senate could take it up the following week before it goes out of session on December 20, and President Barack Obama could sign the measure by December 31.
Lucas was referring to a congressional schedule under which the House is scheduled to leave Washington on Thursday for a Thanksgiving recess, return December 2 and go out of session for the year on December 13.
The Senate’s official calendar ended November 11, but congressional aides have said the Senate is expected to leave town Friday and return December 9 through 20.
Both Stabenow and Lucas were very cautious in predicting whether the conferees would be able to reach a basic agreement.
“We’re in the middle of everything,” Stabenow said. “One thing depends on another. It’s a big Rubrik’s Cube.”
She added that the conference report is “a tough set of things to put together,” but that the conferees are open to compromise.
Stabenow met with reporters after an event on advanced biofuels and the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to lower the Renewable Fuel Standard volumetric requirements.
Lucas, who met with reporters following a 1:45 p.m. floor vote on an unrelated matter, said that while he believes that there needs to be agreement this week, “We not there yet.”
He added that the conferees do not have “a common number” on cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP or food stamps. Lucas noted that the Senate-passed bill cuts only $4 billion and that the House bill would cut $39 billion.
“We’ve got to have real progress,” said Lucas, who met with Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., on the House floor for about 20 minutes while the vote was taking place.
But Lucas also said that the conferees “have had some pretty thorough discussions of all parts of the farm bill.”
The only subject that conferees have not discussed, Lucas said, is the proposal to make changes to country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for red meat. Lucas said he believes that discussion would be left for a public meeting of conferees.
Lucas also said that the decline in commodity prices and EPA’s decision to lower the RFS requirements intensify the need to finish the farm bill. (See following story.)
Asked if he was optimistic about finishing the bill this year, Lucas said he is “hopeful,” but added, “But I’m hopeful for how many years now?”
In his statements, Lucas was obviously keeping the pressure on Congress to finish the bill this year. Asked about finishing the bill in January, he said “producers need certainty,” but added that Congress needs a deadline because “this is a body” that can turn an hour into a day and a day into a month.
Twice Lucas signaled that he is running out of patience with the decision-making process.
“I deserve to get off my Zantac, figuratively speaking,” Lucas told reporters, referring to a popular over-the-counter drug for acid indigestion. Later, he added that he also wants to be able to sleep through the night.
Asked about an extension, Lucas urged reporters to ask Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that question and “watch his eyes” as he contemplates implementing the 1938 and 1949 permanent laws that would go into effect. An extension might be needed if Congress doesn’t finish the bill, but he noted that in the past extensions have been passed for one week at a time.
