House Republican leaders named 26 members to the Agriculture Committee on Monday, including former chairman Frank Lucas, who left the committee after the 2014 farm bill was enacted. The top item on the committee agenda will be updating U.S. food and agriculture policy this year. The 2018 farm law expires on Sept. 30.
“It’s imperative we hit the ground running through a rigorous hearing schedule, listening sessions and aggressive oversight,” said Pennsylvania Rep. Glenn Thompson, who became Agriculture chairman when Republicans took control of the House this month.
Fourteen of the Republicans on the committee will be holdovers from last session and the remaining 12, with the exception of Lucas, from Oklahoma, are newcomers.
“I’m coming home to the Ag Committee,” said Lucas in a statement, who served on the committee after election to the House in 1994 through four years as chairman, ending in 2015. “At a time when strengthening safety nets and accounting for higher input costs are a necessity, it’s the responsibility of the committee to work across the aisle to craft a comprehensive 2023 Farm Bill, ensuring America’s farmers, ranchers, and families have the tools and resources they need to grow the food and fiber and thrive in a 21st century America.”
Republicans returning to the committee were Thompson, Austin Scott of Georgia, Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, Doug LaMalfa of California, David Rouzer of North Carolina, Trent Kelly of Mississippi, Don Bacon of Nebraska, Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, Jim Baird of Indiana, Tracey Mann of Kansas, Mary Miller of Illinois, Barry Moore of Alabama, Kat Cammack of Florida and Brad Finstad of Iowa.
Appointed to the committee for this session were Lucas, John Rose of Tennessee, Ronny Jackson of Texas, Mark Alford of Missouri, Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon, Monica De La Cruz of Texas, John Duarte of California, Nick Langworthy of New York, Max Miller of Ohio, Marc Molinaro of New York, Zach Nunn of Iowa and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin.