Ag related bills like others remain in limbo as the House GOP tries again this week to end a three-week Speakerless void.
No farm bill, no farm bill extension, no USDA spending bill, and no short-term funding ahead of a mid-November shutdown cliff—all due to no Speaker and no functioning House.
The GOP’s now back to square one this third week of no Speaker after three failed attempts last week by hardliner Jim Jordan to win over moderates and replace ousted Kevin McCarthy. Republicans restarted the nomination process all over again and hoped to put a Speaker candidate on the floor for a vote this week, with just four more work weeks scheduled this year.
But McCarthy acknowledged the GOP is in a very bad position. Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul on ABC’s “This Week,” agreed; “My committee of ‘war and peace,’ it’s too dangerous right now, the world’s on fire, and this is so dangerous, what we’re doing. And, most importantly, it’s embarrassing because it empowers and emboldens our adversaries.”
While, at home, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says lack of a farm bill threatens farmers with unrealistic support triggers. He said, “We need to have higher than 3-dollars-and-79 cents for corn to reflect what you and I’ve been talking about. If we have further drops in prices, it’s just going to make farming a negative factor for the next year or two.”
Grassley predicted earlier, at least a one-year farm bill extension will be needed, meaning no improvement to reference price triggers, or any other programs last overhauled in 2018.
