Page 24 - Farm Bill Series_The 7 Things You Should Know

Southern influence

Unable to stay on as ranking member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, Sen. Thad
Cochran, R-Miss., asserted his seniority over Sen. Roberts and was selected to take over as
ranking GOP member of the agriculture committee. Roberts told Agri-Pulse that Cochran “has
his full support” and that “seniority is a well-respected and historic privilege in the U.S.
Senate.” Cochran had previously served as committee chairman from 2003 to 2005.

But his return meant that Southern grower groups would have even more influence on the next
bill, much to the dismay of Midwestern interests and Roberts.

“My message to Kansas farmers and ranchers is that I will continue to be your voice and your
champion at every turn,” Roberts emphasized.

Farm bill veterans knew from previous experience that they should never underestimate the
influence of Southerners in policymaking. The commodity title was soon to become “Southern
fried” to improve its flavor for cotton, rice and peanut growers.

Just a few days earlier, another Kansan was in the farm policy headlines. Tim Huelskamp had
been kicked off the House Agriculture Committee after repeated run-ins with Boehner. A Tea
Party favorite, Huelskamp was a frequent critic of the farm bill’s nutrition title and also of the
speaker and Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
Huelskamp had voted against the House Ag Committee’s farm bill proposal, saying it spent too
much on food stamps and offered little regulatory relief for farmers. It was the first time in nearly
100 years that someone from his state had not served on the committee.

The long, hot summer of 2013

The push was on to finally move farm bills during the summer of 2013 and produce a final
product before the one-year extension expired in September.

The Senate Ag Committee passed its bill on May 13, 15-5, with Roberts, Thune, and Nebraska
Republican Mike Johanns voting against the measure in protest of commodity title revisions that
had been modified to win support from Southern rice and peanut growers. The regional fault
lines among the GOP members were growing deeper.

New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand also opposed the measure over cuts to nutrition funding.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was the sole Southern GOP senator to oppose
the measure.

Just two days later, the House Agriculture Committee passed a new five-year farm bill by a 36-
10 margin. The bill was largely similar to the bill passed through the committee the year before
by a 35-11 margin, with larger cuts in the nutrition title and minor changes in farm safety net
programs. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) gave the draft a preliminary score of $39.7
billion in savings over 10 years, which included $6.4 billion in cuts already required by budget
sequestration. Direct spending authorized by the draft legislation would total $940 billion over
10 years.

The Senate’s farm bill debate opened just five days later.
22 www.Agri-Pulse.com