House Agriculture Committee
It’s no cloak-and-dagger secret, Conaway eyes Intelligence chair
Texas Rep. Michael Conaway is getting high marks for his temporary job running the House Intelligence Committee this summer, including its probe of Russia's efforts to disrupt the 2016 elections. The seventh-term Republican, in early stages of writing a panoramic farm bill on the Agriculture Committee, had a one-word answer — "sure" — when the Texas Tribune asked if he'd like to be the Intelligence chairman someday.
Tougher race expected for House Ag panelist Bost
It’s still 15 months until the 2018 midterm elections, but prospects have turned cloudier for Illinois Rep. Mike Bost, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, says Sabato’s Crystal Ball. Now that a Democrat challenger has announced, the political tipsheet rates the race in the southern Illinois district as “likely” Republican, a change from its previous “safe” Republican assessment.
The ‘new NAFTA’ inspires anxiety on both sides of the border
At a House Agriculture Committee hearing on “opportunities for agriculture” through the renegotiation of NAFTA, an array of farm and trade groups testified that customers, especially in Mexico, are hedging their bets about access to U.S. farm exports and looking for alternative suppliers.
Former congressional staffer to run against House Ag panelist Rodney Davis
Third-term Rep Rodney Davis, a Republican member of the House Agriculture Committee and an early critic of the 2010 school lunch reforms, has a Democratic challenger for 2018, says Roll Call. A lawyer and former House staff worker, Erik Jones, has entered the race against Davis in the Republican-leaning district in downstate Illinois.
House Ag panelists Mike Bost and Rick Nolan draw challengers
Illinois Rep. Mike Bost, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, faces a potentially strong challenger in Democrat Brendan Kelly, says Roll Call, which rates the race as "likely Republican" instead of the previous "solid Republican." The Capitol Hill publication also said St. Louis County commissioner Pete Stauber, a Republican, will run for the seat held by Minnesota Democrat Rick Nolan, an Agriculture Committee member who narrowly won re-election last November.
Rock-hard conservatives say Conaway is an obstacle to budget cuts
With House Republicans bogged down in budget discussions, the conservative group Heritage Action accused Agriculture Committee chairman Michael Conaway of being unwilling “to cut a paltry amount of federal spending from his committee.” A spokeswoman for Conaway called the criticism part of “Heritage Action’s long-running campaign against America’s farmers and ranchers.”
Food stamps a target as House GOP moves toward budget plan
House Republicans are expected to caucus today to discuss a budget package that reportedly increases military spending while cutting domestic programs. The food stamp program is commonly mentioned as a target in government-wide cuts to domestic spending that could total $150 billion over 10 years.
Weaver drops out of rematch against House Ag panelist King
Democrat Kim Weaver, who lost a 2016 race against Republican Rep. Steve King in northwestern quadrant of Iowa, has withdrawn from a second race against the eight-term conservative, said the Sioux City Journal. In a Facebook post, Weaver cited "very alarming acts of intimidation, including death threats," and health issues affecting her mother, who lives in Des Moines.
Two House committee chairs call for dismissal of wetlands lawsuit
California farmer John Duarte, the poster boy for farm groups complaining of federal over-regulation of wetlands, has high-powered supporters in Congress who are appealing for the government to drop its long-running case against him. The Republican chairmen of the House Agriculture and Judiciary committees wrote Attorney General Jeff Sessions to argue that the case against Duarte is unfounded.
Disease, drought, government. Pick the existential threat to farmers.
For the second time in a week, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told lawmakers that government is a greater threat to U.S. farmers than drought or disease. And in nearly the same words at two House hearings, he offered the might of the U.S. government to boost farm income through larger food and ag exports.
Trump selects Callista Gingrich, former House ag staffer, as Vatican ambassador
Callista Gingrich, wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and a former House Agriculture Committee staffer, is President Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, said the White House.
Time to double research funding for organic farming, say lawmakers
Funding would more than double, to $50 million a year, for research to boost organic agricultural production under a bill proposed by three members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
After healthcare vote, two House Ag races in toss-ups
Two Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee, Jeff Denham of California and Don Bacon of Nebraska, are toss-ups for re-election following their votes for the GOP-drafted health care bill, said the political newsletter Sabato's Crystal Ball. The races, previously rated as "leans Republican," are in districts where Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ran well, according to the newsletter.
Top Democrat on House Ag panel, Peterson, to seek re-election
Fourteen-term Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson, a regular target of Republicans as a Democrat in a GOP-leaning district, told Roll Call that he's running for another term. "Yeah, I'm running. I've got 700 grand in the bank," the Democratic leader on the House Agriculture Committee told the Capitol Hill newspaper.
New job for House Ag Chairman Conaway: Head of Russia probe
Dyed-in-the-wool Texas conservative Michael Conaway expects a short tenure as the leader of the House investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and related allegations. Better known as Agriculture Committee chairman, Conaway, a CPA by training and a lower-level member of House Republican leadership, said he will be objective and methodical in running the Intelligence Committee probe.
Tax reform is great, say ag experts, if farmers can keep their breaks
President Trump won election partly on his promise of tax reform, boosting the prospects for the first comprehensive overhaul of the tax code in three decades. Witnesses at a House Agriculture Committee hearing said any reform package must retain benefits now available to farmers, such as deducting interest paid on loans and use of cash accounting to calculate income.
House Ag member Walz to run for governor of Minnesota
It's up or out for six-term Minnesota Rep. Tim Walz, a longtime member of the House Agriculture Committee. He's running for the Democratic nomination for governor, reports Minnesota Public Radio, in a race with three other announced candidates to succeed Gov. Mark Dayton, who is retiring.
Kika de la Garza dies, chaired House Ag panel for 14 years
The first Hispanic from the Rio Grande Valley elected to Congress, Kika de la Garza, who was House Agriculture chairman for 14 of his 32 years in Congress, died on Monday at age of 89. He was chairman during the farm recession of the mid-1980s, one of the hardest times for agriculture since the Depression.