As Debt Ceiling Discussions Continue, Farm Bill Comes To A Standstill

A second meeting this week between the President and congressional leaders on the looming debt ceiling crisis, scheduled for Friday, was postponed.

Some suggest the postponement is a positive sign, suggesting that staff-level discussions are going well and shouldn't be interrupted, while others provide a more bleak assessment – staff-level discussions have yielded little progress, making it pointless for the principles to meet.

Either way, the lack of an agreement is hindering other critical work on Capitol Hill.

"Basically, the entire appropriations process and all of the bills that would lead to spending money, like the Farm Bill, are at a dead standstill,” said Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas in an interview Wednesday, “until the debt ceiling and a long-term spending plan are worked out.”

Rep. Lucas (R-OK3) says, once a debt limit deal is done — and he believes leaders will get it done before the government defaults on its debt — work on the Farm Bill will resume. He’s hopeful there with be enough funding allocated to account for the significant increase in input prices since the last Farm Bill was passed in 2018.

"If we have some new resources to work with,” Lucas said, “then I think we take the '18 farm bill and we adjust it to reflect the changes of the last five years and we move forward — shouldn’t be complicated."

But it could get complicated. Some progressive Democrats want the Farm Bill to essentially double as a climate bill, while some Republicans are pushing for stricter work requirements in food assistance programs, not to mention reduced funding.

"To cut spending,” said Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK2), “ to have the largest cut that has ever been passed, dollar for dollar, by the congressional level, is necessary."

If cuts in domestic spending are part of the debt limit deal, Lucas says there still is a way forward.

"In that scenario, I would rather extend the existing Farm Bill for a year and deal with the safety net we have now,” Rep. Lucas explained, “than to lock in a dramatic reduction in help for the next five years."

And Lucas sees it as positive that President Biden and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met Thursday night for over an hour with the House and Senate Ag committee leaders. He says it shows the White House is aware of the importance of the Farm Bill moving forward.