Farm bill moves forward under bipartisan agreement

The Senate looks likely to pass the farm bill before it adjourns this year after lawmakers came to an agreement on the number of amendments that can be offered to the legislation.

The agreement allows both sides to offer 20 amendments to the farm bill. It followed a move by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to set up a second cloture vote to end debate on the farm bill, which is seen as crucial legislation for rural America.

{mosads}A previous effort before the Thanksgiving recess failed, sparking Senate Democrats to immediately blame Republicans for holding up the bill. If a second cloture vote had been defeated, Democrats could have again faulted their GOP colleagues for delaying legislation, which could have posed difficulties for several GOP senators up for re-election next year.

A few Republicans up for reelection next year voted for cloture in the pre-Thanksgiving vote, including Sens. Norm Coleman (Minn.) and Gordon Smith (Ore.).

The impasse came about because Republicans wanted to offer several amendments that Democrats charged were not relevant to farm policy, such as measures related to the estate tax and driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants. Republicans objected that they were being cut out of the process.

Even if the Senate finishes a bill, a difficult conference with the House likely awaits, probably in 2008. “There is no doubt that conference will be tougher,” said Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy for the United Fresh Produce Association. His trade group is part of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, which pushed for a farm bill vote in a letter to senators last week.  

Guenther said the agreement is a positive step, but warned the bill will have to be modified in conference, and must still win the approval of President Bush, who has threatened to veto the House and Senate farm bills.

Reid insisted the Senate would finish the bill before adjourning for the year. “We’re going to move through and finish this farm bill before we head home,” he said in a Friday floor speech.