Veto-proof majority: House passes Farm Bill with key Walz initiatives

We just returned from a day in the Cities to find the following press release from Congressman Walz in our inbox:

HOUSE PASSES FARM BILL  WITH KEY WALZ INITIATIVES
Conference report passes House with veto-proof, bipartisan majority

(Washington D.C.) - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the final version of the new Farm Bill with an overwhelming bipartisan majority.  The Conference Report to the "The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008," otherwise known as the new Farm Bill passed by a margin of 318 to 106 votes, demonstrating more than enough support to override a threatened Presidential veto.

Congressman Walz said that the legislation includes several major initiatives he championed, which will make it easier for southern Minnesota's farmers to enroll in conservation programs, give farmers more flexibility to determine the crops they plant, and several provisions which will help beginning farmers and ranchers get their start in agriculture. 

"I'm pleased that the House has, at long last, finished its work on the farm bill," said Walz.  "The Farm Bill will provide stability to our rural communities and agricultural producers, as well as ensuring a safe, affordable food supply for Americans and the world."

"And I am especially pleased that the Farm Bill includes several key provisions I authored.  This bill will provide more flexibility for Minnesota's farmers, who will be able to plant more fruits and vegetables, instead of being locked into planting what the government requires."

"This Farm Bill includes a section I added which will make it easier for southeastern Minnesota's organic producers to participate in the Farm Bill's conservation programs.  And I am especially proud that the farm bill includes half-a-dozen important changes I pushed for which will help beginning farmers and ranchers get their start on the land."

"Finally, the Farm Bill includes a provision I wrote which requires USDA to study the impact of rail service on rural America and report to Congress on whether additional competition is needed in the rail industry to protect our grain elevators and other agricultural shippersfrom abusive rail rates," said Walz. 

Despite its name, nearly three-quarters of the Farm Bill's funding goes to USDA nutrition programs like the Food Stamp Program and the School Lunch Program.  Walz said the new Farm Bill provides an additional $10.4 billion for these nutrition programs, which help 38 million American families secure access to healthy food.  During this time of high food prices, the Farm Bill also provides much-needed support to hungry Americans through food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens, by increasing funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program by $1.25 billion.

Additionally, the Farm Bill takes a critical step in transitioning biofuels beyond corn, by reducing the current tax credit for corn-based ethanol and creating a new tax credit to promote the production of cellulosic biofuels. The legislation invests $1 billion in renewable energy, including $320 million in loan guarantees for biorefineries that produce advanced biofuels and a new program to encourage the production of new biomass for cellulosic ethanol and other energy production. 

The Farm Bill also reforms traditional agriculture programs, by phasing out help to farmers who don't need assistance.

The roll call vote on the bill is here.  With the exception of Michele Bachmann and Jim Ramstad, all of Minnesota representatives voted for the bill.

Our friends at the Farmers Union (we're a member) also sent a press release praising the passage of the bill. Read what

 

Minnesota Farmers  Union applauds the House passage of the farm bill conference report

ST. PAUL

Minnesota Farmers Union is pleased that the farm bill is one step closer to getting signed into law.  It has been in the works for 2 years and on the verge of passing for over 7 months.  People from Farmers Union, in Minnesota and on the National level, have been fighting for our policies for a long time,” said Doug Peterson , Minnesota Farmers Union President.  “It is encouraging that Country-Of-Origin-Labeling (COOL), and a permanent disaster assistance program, two Farmers Union priorities, are in the bill.”

A letter, signed by 557 groups was sent to the members of the United States House and United States Senate in support of the farm bill.  The groups signing on to the letter represent not just traditional commodity groups, but specialty crop, conservation, nutrition, consumer and religious organizations across the country. While each organization had different priorities for the farm bill, they share a common goal of passing a farm bill with strong votes in both the House and Senate. (To see the House-sent letter, http://nfu.org/wp-content/5-13-08-farm-bill_coalition_house.pdf, and the Senate-sent letter at: http://nfu.org/wp-content/5-13-08-farm-bill_coalition_senate.pdf)

“This is a great reform bill.  It offers balance on conservation and nutrition and reduces direct payments and offers better risk protection for farmers.  Real reform was achieved by eliminating the triple entity provision and requiring direct attribution for farm payments.”

“This bill also includes much needed funding for nutrition which was increased by $10.36 billion dollars.  President Bush is still threatening a veto on this bill, however I think he would be hard-pressed to veto a reform bill that increases food and nutrition funding for the needy.”

Other Farmers Union policies included in the bill are:

$3.8 billion funded for a permanent disaster assistance program;

An increase of $10.36 billion for nutrition programs;

Assistance to food banks increased by $1.25 billion;

$1 billion for the renewable energy industry;

Creates a loan guarantee program to develop production of dedicated cellulosic energy crops;

Makes COOL implementation mandatory;

Imposes eligibility caps based on the level of farm income;

Increases funding for Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program to protect our natural resources;

$60 million to purchase food overseas to feed people in need;

For the first time there is a Livestock Title that includes non-binding arbitration, interstate shipment of meat, contract reforms and improvement of Packers & Stockyards Act;

Conservation funding increased by $7.9 billion;

7-state pilot program for fruits and vegetables directed at smaller farms and processors; and

Blenders credit for cellulosic ethanol from 51 cents to one dollar per gallon.

“I want to thank both National Farmers Union President Tom Buis and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson for working and fighting so hard for family farmers. I am optimistic that their hard work will pay off and this farm bill gets passed and signed by the President,” said MFU President Doug Peterson .

The next step for the farm bill conference report is to have a vote in the United States Senate, and then off to the President to see if he will veto the bill.  If President Bush vetoes the bill, the conference report will come back to both the Senate and House to see if the veto can be overridden by a 2/3rds vote in each chamber.  If the farm bill is not passed, we will resort back to the non-expiring provisions of the Agriculture Adjustment Act of 1938, and the Agriculture Act of 1949.  These laws are normally temporarily superseded by each farm bill.

Comments

[MinnesotaCentral]

Oh, my gosh ... somebody's Club for Growth rating will be going down.

What good is a pledge against earmarks, if in the end you vote FOR the legislation that the Club For Growth complains about:
Subsidies to millionaire farmers without a hard, meaningful cap on a farmers qualifying income
The elimination of key limits on annual commodity payments
Spending gimmicks that disguise over $10 billion in spending increases
An increase in subsidy rates despite sky-high crop prices and record farm incomes
Direct payments for crops that are not based on a farmer’s income, crop prices, or any standard of need
The creation of a new, permanent disaster aid program, creating incentives to grow the wrong crops on bad land in bad weather
Tax breaks for special interests like race horse owners and timber companies
[Note: These are Club's complaints not mine.]

AGAINST the bill (and therefore With the Club For Growth)
Jeff Flake (AZ-06)
John Campbell (CA-48)
Jeb Hensarling (TX-05)
John Shadegg (AZ-03)
John Boehner (OH-08)
Tom Price (GA-06)
Lynn Westmoreland (GA-03)
Virginia Foxx (NC-05)
Trent Franks (AZ-02)
Michele Bachmann (MN-06)
Eric Cantor (VA-07)
Patrick McHenry (NC-10)
Paul Ryan (WI-01)
Devin Nunes (CA-21)
Paul Broun (GA-10)
Henry Waxman (CA-30)
Joe Pitts (PA-16)
Mark Kirk (IL-10)
Patrick Tiberi (OH-12)*
Joe Wilson (SC-02)
Ron Kind (WI-03)
Dan Burton (IN-05)
Jim Cooper (TN-05)
Mike Pence (IN-06)
Jim Sensenbrenner (WI-05)
Dave Reichert (WA-08)
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05)
Marsha Blackburn (TN-07)
Nathan Deal (GA-09)
Judy Biggert (IL-13)
John Linder (GA-07)

FOR the bill (and against the Club For Growth):
John Kline (MN-02)
Marilyn Musgrave (CO-04)
Walter Jones (NC-03)
Louie Gohmert (TX-01)
Michael McCaul (TX-10)
Todd Platts (PA-19)
Mark Udall (CO-02)
Dave Camp (MI-04)*

Also did the Change You Deserve cause a split in the leadership ... with some voting with Club For Growth and some voting for their re-election ?
Republican leadership was split, which is emblematic of the party's vision for the future:

GOP Leader Boehner: NO
GOP Whip Blunt: YES
Conference Chair Putnam: YES
Conference Vice-Chair Granger: NO
Policy Chairman McCotter: YES
Conference Secretary Carter: YES
NRCC Chairman Cole: YES
Chief Deputy Whip Cantor: NO

Earmarks as the Republicans are trying to frame it, is a SHAM !

They talk for public consumption, but when it comes to gutting spending they go wimpy.

I will be watching to see if John Kline has a press release on the bill as well as Ramstad and Bachmann. By Kline refusing to obtain monies for the Second District (and everyone else who uses the highway, hospitals, military units, etc.), he is making a fraudulent case for restraint on spending but in the end voting to let others have their spending.

Transparency and authorization makes sense, but Kline's Holier-than-thou attitude is a SHAM. The Steve Sarvi threat forced him to for the farmers in his district with hopes that will forget that they need good roads to deliver products to market.

Walz did a HONEST, OPEN and Strong Effort on behalf of Minnesota.