House Republicans have introduced a stopgap funding bill to keep the government funded after Sept. 30th—but, it lacks a one-year Farm Bill extension.
The ‘must-pass’ continuing budget resolution extends government funding through next March—including funding for USDA, farm credit insurance, rural housing, and livestock mandatory reporting.
But the stopgap, which is likely to be voted upon this week, does not include a one-year Farm Bill extension—but it may give lawmakers more time this Congress to nail down a new Farm Bill.
Joe Gilson with American Farm Bureau says it’s possible that any action regarding the Farm Bill may be ironed out during the “lame-duck” session of Congress after the Nov. 5th election.
“And that could come, in terms of, if they want to just kick it to the next Congress, an extension, or if there’s strong support for a five-year farm bill, there’s about a month-and-a-half to get something done in the lame-duck,” he says.
Gilson had expected lawmakers to hold out on another extension until the lame duck, given that Congress will likely work to avoid a government shutdown altogether.
“I know they want to get the appropriations done with so that we’re not at risk of a shutdown at the end of September,” says Gilson.
Earlier this week, over 300 ag groups have signed a letter that was sent to House and Senate leaders pushing for a new Farm Bill to be passed in 2024. The letter sites “the enormous challenges facing production agriculture – including a farm economy that has taken a downward spiral.”
The ag groups ask lawmakers to for a bill “that strengthens the safety net as many producers are facing multiple years of not being profitable and this is causing their overall financial situation to deteriorate.”
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Congress have been deadlocked for months over funding for SNAP, higher crop subsidy spending, and climate mitigation.
