The U.S. House of Representatives Rules Committee last night approved a rule that would combine the House-passed nutrition bill with the House-passed farm bill.  The measure was passed as part of a larger resolution to ease consideration of the continuing resolution to fund the government and deal with the public debt.

The House is expected to hold a floor vote this weekend to approve the combined measure and send it to  the Senate for conference.  The Senate has been waiting to begin a conference on its five-year farm bill and appointed conferees on August 1.

Once the combined farm bill measure was sent by the House to the Senate, the Senate would reject it and ask for a conference on the farm bills passed by the House and the Senate and to reappoint Senate conferees.  After the Senate has reappointed conferees and sent a message to the House, then House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) would appoint House conferees.