House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) told Politico this week that more “outside the box” thinking is necessary to save a farm bill this fall.  “I may have to do a lot of things outside the box to get this final thing together, I will acknowledge that to you,” Lucas said, in discussing upcoming talks with the Senate.  “This is going to be a hard, complicated conference.”  The current farm bill expires at the end of September.

“The challenge that will confront the House and Senate when we both get there, are so great.  The positions are locked in so tight on so many issues.  That to achieve a consensus that we can pass on both floors, that we get the president to sign, we may have to think outside the box,” Lucas in his short interview with Politico on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, it was reported Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) said in an interview yesterday that with Congress distracted by the Syrian situation and other pressing issues, it is increasingly likely that the farm bill will expire before the House and Senate can reach a compromise on funding the nutrition progams that make up the bulk of the cost of the five-year program.  “I don’t think we’ll do any kind of an extension,” he said.  “We’ll let the present one expire.  Not much will happen right away and hopefully, we can go to conferenc in October,” Harkin said.

GOP House Leadership is currently pushing members to cut $40 billion over 10 years from the food stamp program.  After that proposal is either approved or defeated, then the House must send  their completed version of a farm bill to a conference committee where the two chambers will work out the differences between the bills.    “If the House approves a $40 billion cut it is going to be a very narrow margin,” Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) said this week.  “I dare say they won’t get one Democratic vote and they will lose Republican votes.  Maybe if they can bring it up and defeat it that would be the best thing,” Harkin said.