The new year brought with it new leadership in Washington, D.C. A new Congress is set to be sworn in today, and the American Farm Bureau seems confident in the new faces taking over the House and Senate Ag Committees.
“The House Ag Committee Chairman is Glen “G.T.” Thompson from Pennsylvania. He’s well-established. The new ranking committee member, Angie Craig from Minnesota, is new but not inexperienced. On the Senate side, John Boozman, from Arkansas, takes over as the committee chairman. He’s been serving as the leading Republican for a while and joining him from the other side of the aisle is Senator Amy Klobuchar from the Democrats. Again, new to her post, not new to Congress, not new to the Ag Committee,” said Sam Kieffer, Vice President of Public Policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation.
While the new ag leaders have a wealth of experience to draw from, expectations for them remain high.
“They need to get back to the business of doing a Farm Bill. We’ve been kicking the can down the road for the better part of two years. Congress also has to deal with expiring tax provisions before the end of 2025. Not to mention, there are a number of regulatory oversight opportunities for members of Congress. They also need to figure out the budget, and the current budget only goes until March.”
While the new year offers a fresh start for lawmakers, they now have a history of falling short when it comes to the Farm Bill. The Farm Bureau recognizes the challenges that remain.
“I think this next farm bill, if we can make sure it helps the family farmer, then we’re going to get a farm bill done pretty early. There’s a million hangups in a farm bill. It’s a massive bill with 12 different titles, so who knows what could hang up Congress. There is a litany of issues,” said American Farm Bureau’s Director of Government Affairs Joe Gilson.
