Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts, who will chair House-Senate negotiations over the farm bill, plans a thorough but timely resolution of the differences between the two chambers’ versions, said a committee spokeswoman on Monday. “This work includes identifying common ground and working through differences in the weeks ahead. It takes time to get it right.”
The 2014 farm law expires on Sept. 30, and agriculture leaders in the House and Senate say their goal is to enact the new farm bill in the roughly three months before then. Traditionally, congressional staff workers resolve minor disagreements between House and Senate bills and sort out the major issues that must be resolved by the lawmakers themselves. No date has been set for appointment of the small number of House and Senate conferees who will write the final, compromise version of the farm bill. The House and Senate passed separate versions in late June.
Meanwhile, the House Agriculture Committee circulated a Wall Street Journal editorial in support of its package of broader and stricter work requirements for SNAP, which would affect an estimated 7 million “work-capable” adults ages 18 to 59. The Senate rejected stricter rules for SNAP by a 2-to-1 vote. “The White House has leverage of its own if it’s willing to veto a bill without the food-stamp fixes,” said the editorial.