House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson had an upbeat outlook on prospects for quick action on the next farm bill, but Senate Agriculture Chairman Tom Harkin suggested a slower farm bill time line.
Both men, however, are in agreement that a hard cap on farm program payments won’t make it into the next farm bill. Both said the differences between the House and Senate versions of the farm bill are relatively minor. And both also agree that President Bush is unlikely to veto the measure.
Peterson told Brownfield he plans to stay in Washington D.C. through the holidays to ensure House and Senate Ag Committee staffs make progress toward a compromise bill. And he said the farm bill could be on the President’s desk by the end of next month, if the Senate passes its version of the farm bill before adjourning for the year.
Harkin, meanwhile, told Brownfield he’s confident the Senate will pass a farm bill before Christmas, even though the Senators have 40 amendments to work through. However, according to Harkin, getting the farm bill through a House-Senate conference could push the process beyond January.
Peterson also predicted that President Bush won’t veto the farm bill. According to Peterson, doing so would hurt Republican lawmakers more than Democrats. In fact, the Bush administration issued a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) in early November that was harshly critical of the Senate farm bill. The SAP specifically opposed the Senate’s revenue-generating mechanism for the farm bill. Indeed, Acting U.S. Ag Secretary Chuck Conner had this to say about the Senate farm bill on November 5th.
“This bill continues a defective safety net, contains little real reform, and uses tax increases and budget gimmicks to pay for priorities that deserve to be funded in an honest fashion.”