Congressional Chicken Caucus co-chairs Reps. Jim Costa (D-CA) and Steve Womack (R-AR) on Thursday sent a letter with 100 Members of Congress to USDA requesting a six month extension to the comment period for USDA’s recent Packers and Stockyards Act rule. Senate Chicken Caucus co-chairs Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) on Thursday also sent a letter with 19 Senators requesting an extension.
The rule, known as the “Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act” proposed rule, poses dozens of detailed, technical questions addressing many aspects of the proposed rule itself, including definitions in the rule, which require substantial time for stakeholders to comprehensively respond.
“Furthermore,” the Senate letter reads, “the Proposed Rule is the latest installment in a three-part rulemaking announced last year.”
USDA in June 2022 proposed a rule entitled “Transparency in Poultry Grower Contracting and Tournaments.”
“In addition to [this rulemaking],” the letter continued, “USDA has stated in press releases and in the 2022 Spring Regulatory Agenda its intent to promulgate another proposed rule entitled, ‘Clarification of Scope of the Packers and Stockyards Act.’ Each of these rules are inexorably connected, and USDA has described them as a ‘suite of major actions under the Biden Administration to create fairer marketplaces for poultry, livestock, and hog producers.’ To fully understand the economic, legal, and operational impacts of the Proposed Rule, and to provide meaningful comments, stakeholders and our constituents must have the opportunity to consider USDA’s competition agenda in its entirety.”
As such, the letter requests that USDA extend the comment period of the proposed rule for 180 days.
The Senate letter can be found here and the House letter can be found here.
The Senate letter included 19 signatures: Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Tom Carper (D-DE), Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tim Scott (R-SC), John Boozman (R-AR), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), James Lankford (R-OK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Richard Burr (R-NC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Mike Braun (R-IN).
The House letter included 100 signatures:
- Aderholt, Robert
- Allen, Rick
- Arrington, Jodey
- Babin, Brian
- Baird, James
- Bentz, Cliff
- Bergman, Jack
- Bishop, Dan
- Blunt Rochester, Lisa
- Bost, Mike
- Bucshon, Larry
- Budd, Ted
- Calvert, Ken
- Carter, Earl
- Cline, Ben
- Cloud, Michael
- Clyde, Andrew
- Cole, Tom
- Comer, James
- Conway, Connie
- Costa, Jim
- Craig, Angie
- Crawford, Eric
- Cuellar, Henry
- DesJarlais, Scott
- Diaz-Balart, Mario
- Duncan, Jeff
- Emmer, Tom
- Feenstra, Randy
- Ferguson, A.
- Finstad, Brad
- Fischbach, Michelle
- Fleischmann, Charles
- Flood, Mike
- Flores, Mayra
- Foxx, Virginia
- Franklin, C.
- Fulcher, Russ
- Garbarino, Andrew
- Gohmert, Louie
- Gonzales, Tony
- Gonzalez, Vicente
- Good, Bob
- Gooden, Lance
- Granger, Kay
- Graves, Sam
- Guest, Michael
- Harris, Andy
- Harshbarger, Diana
- Hartzler, Vicky
- Hill, J.
- Hinson, Ashley
- Hudson, Richard
- Huizenga, Bill
- Jackson, Ronny
- Jacobs, Chris
- Johnson, Dusty
- Keller, Fred
- Kelly, Trent
- Kildee, Daniel
- Kustoff, David
- LaHood, Darin
- LaMalfa, Doug
- Latta, Robert
- LaTurner, Jake
- Letlow, Julia
- Lucas, Frank
- Mace, Nancy
- Mann, Tracey
- McClain, Lisa
- McClintock, Tom
- Meuser, Daniel
- Miller, Mary
- Miller-Meeks, Mariannette
- Moolenaar, John
- Moore, Barry
- Mullin, Markwayne
- Murphy, Gregory
- Newhouse, Dan
- Norman, Ralph
- Palazzo, Steven
- Panetta, Jimmy
- Pence, Greg
- Pfluger, August
- Reschenthaler, Guy
- Rogers, Harold
- Rose, John
- Rouzer, David
- Scott, Austin
- Simpson, Michael
- Smith, Adrian
- Soto, Darren
- Stauber, Pete
- Steube, W.
- Thompson, Glenn
- Trone, David
- Valadao, David
- Walberg, Tim
- Westerman, Bruce
- Womack, Steve
