Congress Faces Challenges In Crafting New Farm Bill After Unexpected Delays

Farmers and ranchers across Oklahoma are looking to Washington this summer to get a new Farm Bill written and passed into law, but they may be a little uneasy with what they're seeing so far.

Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas, who operates a ranch in Roger Mills County, rejoined the House Agriculture Committee this year specifically so he could be part of writing the 2023 Farm Bill. But he said things got off to a rough start because it took longer than expected for his new GOP majority to choose a Speaker, work out an agreement to raise the debt ceiling, and agree on parameters for writing a budget.

"So, we’re running about five months behind," Lucas (R-OK3) said in an interview last week.

Lucas has had a hand in passing the last four Farm Bills and understands the process and the forces that shape it as well as anyone in Congress. He said Ag Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA) has promised to move aggressively in September when Congress returns from its summer break, but acknowledged that's likely not enough time to get the omnibus package done before 2018's five-year authorization begins to expire.

"If I were speculating," said Lucas, "based on my experience, we are probably looking at an extension because you can’t let the farm programs begin to unwind on October 1."

The 2018 bill included 12 titles, covering everything from commodities support programs to crop insurance to SNAP benefits, which account for about 80 percent of the funding authorized under the bill. But funding for some programs could be reduced in the 2023 bill, if GOP hard-liners get their way.

Lucas notes Appropriations leadership is promising to minimize those cuts through the reallocation of unused COVID money and rescinded clean energy funds from President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act. House Democrats are openly skeptical those funds will actually be realized; Lucas is hopeful but said, if funds aren't reallocated and the result is a potential cut to the safety net for farmers and ranchers, he'll push for a full-year extension of the current Farm bill.

"Because I can’t reduce what is already weakened by inflation," said Lucas, "a weaker safety net than we started with in 2018, the last bill -- I can’t be a part of that."

Ultimately, the House and Democrat-controlled Senate will have to reconcile differences, which is why Lucas ultimately is confident the final product will look different than what has so far emerged in the House.

"Historically, some of my most zealot conservative friends have never voted for the Farm bill," allowed Rep. Lucas. "but then some of my most liberal colleagues won’t vote for a Farm bill, either. It’s the middle -- a majority of the Republicans and the majority of Democrats who pass Farm bills. I don’t see how that will be any different when we get to that final vote."

And Lucas said, if he had to speculate, that will probably be sometime early next year, in either January or February.