Senate Ag approps debate to start today
June 17, 2014 | 01:23 PM
The Senate today will begin consideration of the fiscal year 2015 Agriculture appropriations bill and two other appropriations measures in a package, and will apparently consider them simultaneously.
The Office of Management and Budget issued a statement of administration policy on all three bills that was generally supportive of the Agriculture bill, but includes criticisms of some of the provisions.
The Senate Appropriations Committee has posted all three bills — Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development — on its website. (See links.)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said earlier today that the three bills would be brought up as a package this afternoon.
Reid said he hoped the process would be smooth but he sounded apprehensive when he said, “We hope that we can forward on this bill immediately. There is no reason that we can't. It's something we should be doing to fund our government.”
“We need to keep our government operating and so I look forward to a cooperative amendment process and participation from all senators,” he added.
“These bills will provide our government with resources they need to serve the American people. So the manner in which we handle these very important issues will largely dictate how the appropriations bills are managed in the coming weeks and months. If we are successful in considering and passing these bills in a timely manner, we can move to other legislation such as the much-needed surface transportation bill.”
Reid noted that Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and ranking member Richard Shelby, R-Ala., will manage the bill, and that Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mark Pryor, D-Ark., will assist with the Agriculture bill.
The consideration of the bill is scheduled to begin after the party lunches today, but a Senate Appropriations spokesman said that Mikulski’s opening remarks might not be delivered until later this afternoon.
In its statement, OMB said the Obama administration:
The Office of Management and Budget issued a statement of administration policy on all three bills that was generally supportive of the Agriculture bill, but includes criticisms of some of the provisions.
The Senate Appropriations Committee has posted all three bills — Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development — on its website. (See links.)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said earlier today that the three bills would be brought up as a package this afternoon.
Reid said he hoped the process would be smooth but he sounded apprehensive when he said, “We hope that we can forward on this bill immediately. There is no reason that we can't. It's something we should be doing to fund our government.”
“We need to keep our government operating and so I look forward to a cooperative amendment process and participation from all senators,” he added.
“These bills will provide our government with resources they need to serve the American people. So the manner in which we handle these very important issues will largely dictate how the appropriations bills are managed in the coming weeks and months. If we are successful in considering and passing these bills in a timely manner, we can move to other legislation such as the much-needed surface transportation bill.”
Reid noted that Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and ranking member Richard Shelby, R-Ala., will manage the bill, and that Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mark Pryor, D-Ark., will assist with the Agriculture bill.
The consideration of the bill is scheduled to begin after the party lunches today, but a Senate Appropriations spokesman said that Mikulski’s opening remarks might not be delivered until later this afternoon.
In its statement, OMB said the Obama administration:
- “Appreciates the bill's continued support for science-based nutrition standards for children” and would oppose any language that would “override science-based standards.”
- Views the provision calling for inclusion of white potatoes in the Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) pending a scientific review as “intended to preserve the science-based review process used to determine which foods should be included in the WIC food package.”
- “Is disappointed” by language that prevents closure of Farm Service Agency offices.
