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Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune vows to kickstart legislative action on farm and other legislation next year as the GOP takes the helm in the new Congress.
The South Dakota Republican complains the Senate has done little this Congress, starting with USDA and other spending bills.
“Eleven of the 12 were reported out of the Appropriations Committee last summer, available for floor consideration. We could have had them on the floor, but, like everything else, that’s languished. A farm bill expired. A lot of farmers and ranchers out there wondering what’s going to happen with no farm bill.”
Supplemental disaster aid, another mention, was still being discussed as farmers struggle to recover from storms, drought, and low crop prices.
Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer spent much of the year focused on court nominations and reproductive issues, leaving spending decisions for last and another stopgap continuing resolution.
“We’re trying to get the CR to go as long as possible. I think it will land somewhere in the middle of March.”
Thune has already released an intense schedule with the Senate in session for ten straight weeks to start the new year and five days a week most of the year.
“The one thing I can tell you about next year is it’s going to be different. The American people, I can tell you, this is not, that the way the Senate is operating today is not the way it’s going to be operating in the future. We aim to fix that.”
In addition to a farm bill and spending bills, the new majority plans to address border, defense, and energy priorities, and important to agriculture, a sweeping tax bill.
Source: NAFB News Service