Exclusive: Parties "stuck" on farm bill's IRA dollars
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
A rift over IRA climate-smart agriculture funds is jeopardizing $10 billion in economic assistance to farmers as farm bill talks reach a now-or-never point.
Why it matters: Negotiators have essentially 48 hours to reach a deal on a one-year farm bill extension to have enough time to pass it before the session ends next week.
- "We're stuck," Sen. John Boozman told Axios. "But everyone's working."
Driving the news: Democrats want to put more than $17 billion from the IRA into the farm bill baseline to keep it from expiring in 2031.
- They say they've received CBO guidance in recent weeks that moving IRA dollars into the baseline will generate $10 billion in savings.
- Those funds can be used in an economic aid package to farmers, a major priority for Republicans, said a House Democratic staffer who spoke on condition of anonymity.
- Democrats have also sweetened their offer by dropping "climate guardrails" — which restrict IRA funding to farming practices that lower greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon — for three of four conservation programs, the staffer said.
Friction point: Republicans generally supported including IRA dollars in the farm bill but wanted the guardrails removed.
- But the IRA money pot is now being targeted by House and Senate GOP leadership as they seek funds to pay for reconciliation bills next year.
- "The sharks are circling," said a second Democratic staffer who spoke on condition of anonymity.
What they're saying: "Sitting and hoping isn't a strategy," Rep. David Scott, the committee's top Democrat, said in a statement to Axios.
- "Democrats have put forward a paid-for plan that provides billions of dollars to help farmers face a challenging economic environment."
