Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) yesterday evening named conferees to reconcile differences in farm bill legislation approved by the Senate and House of Representatives. The Senate sent a request to go to conference to negotiate final farm legislation with the House of Representatives July 18.
Democrats Conferees:
- Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
- Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
- Tom Harkin (D-IA)
- Max Baucus (D-MT)
- Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
- Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Republicans Conferees:
- Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-MS)
- Senators Pat Roberts (R-KS)
- Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
- John Boozman (R-AR)
- John Hoeven (R-ND)
Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), ranking member on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, said “I appreciate Republican Leader McConnell appointing conferees prior to the August recess and setting the stage for us to try to finalize a 2013 farm bill. Reconciling differences between the Senate and House will be a challenge, but it is a job that needs to be done for an important sector of the American and global economy.”
The Senate approved the Agriculture Farm, Foods, and Jobs Act of 2013 on June 10 that would cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $4 billion in 10 years. A farm bill in the House was defeated that would have cut $20.5 billion from SNAP, but the House subsequently passed on July 11 a farm bill minus the nutrition title.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) had put together a working group on the nutrition title that has been meeting weekly. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) said yesterday that the House Republican leadership could bring to the floor in September a nutrition bill that would cut the SNAP by $40 billion over 10 years. “It appears we have, at least among the Republican ranks, a consensus on the nutrition title,” Lucas said. “If 218 of my colleagues agree, then I would think that possibly in September, we’ll have a nutrition bill,” he said.
Senate Committee Chair on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) told reporters that “I don’t understand the thinking in the House. The House nutrition bill creates another barrier to getting a farm bill done. It’s wasted time and effort.”
A new farm bill needs to be completed before the current extension expires on September 30.
