U.S. Representative Collin Peterson anticipates the next Congress will be able to work out compromises on agricultural issues, but has concerns regarding the Senate Agriculture Committee. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the concerns stem with Kansas Republican Pat Roberts, who voted against the current Farm Bill. Roberts has emerged as the likely candidate to Chair the Senate Agriculture Committee. Peterson, a Democrat, is the ranking minority member on the House Ag Committee. Peterson stated, in regard to Roberts, “He has made some noise about opening up the farm bill if he gets to be chairman, which is a very bad idea, and puts everything we worked for in jeopardy.”
Peterson’s priorities in the next Congress will include implementing the farm bill; reviving stalled legislation to reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission through 2018, which passed the House but has not come up in the Senate; a five-year transportation bill; and changes to immigration law to address the need for more farm workers. But for now, Peterson told the newspaper it was time for a break in politics, after winning a hard fought campaign. He said “I need to go deer hunting and clear my head.”
Source: NAFB News Service