Ag lawmakers eschew extension to focus on new bill.

While partisan differences remain, Congressional lawmakers appear to agree on one key point. They have no intention of passing a short-term extension before Sept. 30. That’s the day the 2018 Farm Bill extension passed last year comes to an end.

It’s also the deadline to pass a new budget for the 2025 fiscal year. There’s been recent chatter about Congress including a farm bill extension with any budget deal later this month. Now ag lawmakers are pushing to forgo an extension and focus on passing a new bill.

In a memo to House Ag Committee Democrats last week, Ranking Member David Scott, D- Ga., says he, Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson, Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow and Ranking Member John Boozman agree they are better off without an extension.

Scott says lawmakers have a small window to broker a deal. That window would presumably be after Election Day.

According to Scott, House Speaker Mike Johnson wanted another one-year farm bill extension included in his proposal to keep government agencies funded for six months. Scott says he and Thompson both objected to that plan, adding that they “need pressure” to come together on a new bill.

A source close to the Republican House Ag Committee confirmed Thompson also believes the sole focus should be on passing a new farm bill this year. The chairman said as much recently at the Farm Progress Show. In late August, Thompson reiterated his intention to have a farm bill signed into law by the current president and executed by the next one.

Another fall without a farm bill

The decision to forgo a short-term extension means there technically won’t be a farm bill in effect after September. Still, current programs won’t be affected until the next calendar year.

Commodity programs are based on the year a crop is harvested. Current crop insurance programs are permanently funded by the government. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would continue unchanged so long as there isn’t an extended government shutdown. Most major conservation programs are funded through fiscal year 2031 per the Inflation Reduction Act.

Producers likely wouldn’t be hurt by the lack of a bill until the calendar flips to 2025. That’s when some programs revert to New Deal era legislation. Dairy farmers would feel the pain first, triggering so-called “dairy cliff.”  

Nobody involved in the farm bill negotiations thinks that doomsday scenario will happen. Still, it could indeed become reality should lawmakers fail to act before early next year.

Additional action coming soon?

There also appears to be a growing sentiment among lawmakers to help ag producers before addressing the farm bill. On Tuesday, Boozman took to the Senate floor calling for emergency ag aid. He says Congress and the administration must provide a “timely and urgent response” to the looming farm crisis. According to Boozman, that includes emergency assistance for farmers and a redoubling of efforts to pass a farm bill this year.

“Farmers across the country need a bridge to help their family farms survive into next year,” Boozman says. “We’ve seen previous ad-hoc assistance programs established in a period of weeks, as demonstrated by then Secretary [Sonny] Perdue when the COVID-19 pandemic created disruptions for producers. That level of timely and urgent response by Congress and the administration is once again warranted.”

Emergency assistance would conceivably be tacked on to a continuing resolution keeping federal agencies funded. Since there is little appetite for a government shutdown in an election year, that assistance could be passed before month’s end, though there are no guarantees.

The same goes for the farm bill. Plenty of lawmakers remain skeptical that this Congress can reach a consensus after months of disagreement. Around D.C., rumors are still flying about another extension lasting anywhere from two months to two years.

While it’s far from certain that a farm bill passes this year, Congressional ag committee leaders appear ready to give it one last try. At this point, that’s probably all anyone could ask.

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