Congress is back in session and many are anxiously waiting for Farm Bill progress. A leading bipartisan government relations firm says passing the legislation will not be easy but it is doable.
“The biggest incumbrances right now are really two things: one, the math of the House of Representatives. With the retirement of Bill Johnson, from Ohio, the House majority could potentially be down to 219 seats. To have the majority you need 218 seats, so you have a margin of one. And then the other complicating factor is quite frankly the committees just haven’t moved. The Agriculture Committees have not moved a bill and, you know, I guess for what it’s worth, I would encourage the committees to begin their work,” said Tyson Redpath.
Principal with the Russell Group, Tyson Redpath, says there is still a right way of doing things despite politics.
“Farm Bills have lived and survived the test of time because they’ve included the minority. They’ve been bipartisan and they’ve gone through a regular order committee process. I’d encourage the leadership of both committees to let’s get that started again.”
Redpath says one of the major reasons we have not seen a new Farm Bill is because it will not come cheap. It is expected to be our nation’s first trillion-dollar Farm Bill.
