If GOP wins Senate, Roberts could make history | Food and Environment Reporting Network

Pat Roberts of Kansas is “likely” to become chairman of the Agriculture Committee if Republicans win control of the Senate in the mid-term elections, says Politico, in laying out its list of potential committee leaders. It says Thad Cochran of Mississippi, now the GOP leader on Agriculture, would take the Appropriations chair and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, No 2 in rank on Agriculture, would become majority leader. Of course, Cochran and Roberts have to win re-election on Nov 4.

If Roberts takes the Agriculture gavel, he would be the first person to chair the Agriculture Committee in both chambers of Congress. He was House Agriiculture chairman from 1995-97 and was the lead sponsor of the “Freedom to Farm” law of 1996 that removed most federal controls on crop plantings.

As Senate chairman, Roberts would be “likely to support food stamp cuts: He tried unsuccessfully to cut the program by 4 percent last year, arguing that ‘we can and should restore integrity to [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] for those who rely on it while being more responsible to the taxpayer,'” says Politico.