Today's Worthington Daily Globe carries an AP report about the Farm Bill: Farm bill expected to contain disaster dollars for needy farmers. The disaster aid program would help farmers affected by drought, floods, and other natural calamities.
It looks as if the final conference committee report won't be ready by March 15, when the current bill expires. Congress may have to extend the current legislation until April 15 in order to gain time to get details hammered out. What's causing the delay? According to the report:
Several farm-state Democrats have blamed the administration for being difficult as negotiations progress on Capitol Hill.
"The main problem, if I were to point to one single thing, is the White House's endless veto threats and objections to almost any 'pay for,' any offset," said Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. "That's made it slow going because packages are put together that could have the offsets that are necessary, and the White House rejects them. They even reject things they themselves have proposed."
Still, Conrad said, there has been progress as all parties have met repeatedly in recent weeks. Members are hoping to come to agreement by this week, before Congress adjourns for a two-week spring recess.
"My hope is that before we leave here that there's a framework agreement," he said.
Though the work won't all be done by the March 15 deadline, bill negotiators are hoping they can have enough agreement to enact a one-month extension of the bill this week and have it signed by the president by April 15.
North Dakota Rep. Earl Pomeroy, a Democratic member of the House Agriculture Committee, says the two chambers should just write a bill and let the White House react.
"It's time to forget about the White House for a little bit and finish it up, just the House and Senate," he said. "We simply have to cut through the legislative hang-ups and get the thing passed."
Looks like the pattern we've seen for legislation dealing with other policy areas. This uncertainity can't be good for farmers, since planting season is coming on.
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