Thompson in September. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
Senate Democrats' farm bill text isn't looking likely to bring the two parties together to reach a deal, raising the likelihood of a second yearlong extension of the 2018 bill.
Why it matters: Sen. Debbie Stabenow's proposal Monday comes with dwindling days of session left in Congress and as many farmers struggle with natural disasters and economic headwinds.
What they're saying: "If she had brought that out in June, I think we'd have stood a chance of conferencing something," House Ag Committee Chair Glenn Thompson told reporters Monday. "I'm not sure with all the days we have left."
- "I don't want to put odds on it," Thompson said. "I just know that every day that we wait — I know I sound like a broken record — we're losing farmers and ranchers."
- Sen. John Boozman, poised to chair the Senate Ag Committee in January, was more emphatic.
- "An 11th-hour partisan proposal released 415 days after the expiration of the current farm bill is insulting. America's farmers deserve better," he tweeted.
Between the lines: Talk has been swirling about an "extension-plus" of the farm bill, meaning a yearlong extension paired with disaster relief.
- Thompson said he would work "aggressively" on President Biden's call for Congress to approve nearly $100 billion in disaster relief, including $24 billion for USDA.
