House Agriculture Committee
One in seven on House ag panel collected farm payments
Eight current members of the House Agriculture Committee received farm subsidies at some point since 1998, said the Environmental Working Group on Tuesday. Seven of the eight describe themselves on their congressional websites as farmers or the offspring of a farm family.
Key House Democrat says ‘no way’ to SNAP cuts
Congress will write the 2023 farm bill without harming SNAP, notwithstanding Republican suggestions to restrict food-stamp eligibility, said the senior Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee on Monday. "There is no way we are going to accept any cuts in this program," said Rep. David Scott of Georgia at a farm conference.
At listening session, calls for greater farm bill funding and a stronger SNAP
Congress needs to modernize the crop insurance program and update farm subsidies to reflect higher input costs and volatile commodity markets when it writes the new farm bill, said the leader of the largest U.S. farm group at a listening session in Texas on Wednesday. An anti-hunger leader asked lawmakers to “keep the importance of access to SNAP and the adequacy of those benefits top of mind throughout farm bill discussions.”
More money needed for farm bill, says panel, eyeing climate funds
After describing the farm economy in apocalyptic terms, the House Agriculture Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to seek “additional resources” of an unspecified amount “to enact a strong farm bill in 2023.” The committee also said it would consider whether to divert all or part of the $20 billion awarded to the USDA for climate mitigation to other needy programs.
‘Most vulnerable’ list includes five House Ag panelists
The race for control of the House in 2024 begins as a toss-up, with five members of the House Agriculture Committee—three Republicans and two Democrats— on the bubble, said Sabato's Crystal Ball.
Chairman’s priorities: ‘Production’ agriculture, rural revitalization
In a camaraderie-filled meeting, Chairman Glenn Thompson said that everyone on the House Agriculture Committee was a member “of the farm team,” and his list of priorities for the committee put conventional agriculture and rural development first. “We certainly will have our work cut out for us as far as reauthorizing the farm bill,” he said on Wednesday.
McCarthy foes include two aggies
Reps. Mary Miller of Illinois and Andy Harris of Maryland were part of the Republican bloc voting repeatedly against elevating Kevin McCarthy to House Speaker. Harris was the senior Republican on the House Appropriations subcommittee in charge of USDA and FDA spending, and Miller served on the House Agriculture Committee in the past session of Congress.
The ‘four corners’ of ag policy are back for the farm bill
House Democrats elected Georgia Rep. David Scott as their leader on the Agriculture Committee on Thursday for the congressional session that begins on Jan. 3. The vote means the “four corners” of the 2023 farm bill will be the same four lawmakers who led the House and Senate ag committees for the past two years.
Farm bill should protect, maybe strengthen, crop insurance, says Thompson
The incoming Republican chairman of the House Agriculture Committee said the new farm bill should protect the federally subsidized crop insurance program and "maybe we need to see about strengthening it."
Critic of Biden climate program will head House Agriculture Committee
With a farm bill fight brewing over President Biden’s climate agenda, House Republican leaders named Pennsylvania Rep. Glenn Thompson chair of the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday. Thompson, who wants to expand farm supports, has accused the administration of acting as “a lone wolf” in setting up its $3.5 billion proposal to develop climate-smart commodities.
House ag panelists Costa and Harder win in California
Democratic Reps. Jim Costa and Josh Harder were projected as victors in two agriculture-rich House districts in California's Central Valley as vote-counting continued a week after the mid-term elections. Costa and Harder serve on the House Agriculture Committee.
House Agriculture to lose one in five members
Fewer old hands on House ag panel to write new farm bill
With five dozen races still to be called, Republicans were ahead in House seats in Tuesday's general elections that also marked the departure of at least four long-time members of the committee. That means the House Agriculture Committee will be light on farm bill experience when it overhauls U.S. food and agriculture policy next year.
Two Democrats on House Agriculture facing uphill fights
Two Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee, Reps. Tom O’Halleran of Arizona and Cindy Axne of Iowa, are in uphill fights for re-election against Republicans, according to political handicapper Sabato’s Crystal Ball.
In race to control the House, three Agriculture Committee toss-ups
A relative handful of contests in the Nov. 8 general election — one month away — will decide whether Democrats or Republicans control the House in 2023. Three of those toss-up races are in farm-state districts with seats on the House Agriculture Committee.
Farm-state Republicans object to climate focus in land stewardship
Climate mitigation does not deserve priority over other soil and water conservation goals notwithstanding the $20 billion earmarked for it, said two senior Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee on Tuesday. "I don't feel bound by the amount of funding or the specific program allocation passed in the partisan (climate, health and tax) bill," said Pennsylvania Rep Glenn Thompson, the Republican leader on the committee.
Finstad wins in Minnesota, will face Ettinger again in November
Voters in politically conservative southern Minnesota chose Brad Finstad, a pro-Trump Republican, over Democrat Jeff Ettinger in a closer-than-expected special election on Tuesday to complete the term of the late Rep. Jim Hagedorn, who was a member of the House Agriculture Committee.
Crop insurance industry to House committee: ‘Stay the course’
Representatives of several lobbying groups testified Wednesday at a House hearing on crop insurance ahead of the 2023 farm bill, describing the program as one of the best tools available to protect farmers from crop losses, regardless of farm size.
House Democrats elect Craig as party leader on Agriculture Committee
Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig said she will employ a principled bipartisanship in her new post as senior Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, "working to find compromise where we can, but fighting for our values where we must." Farm groups said her first goal should be enactment of a new farm bill.