Ag Policy Blog

Nearly a week ago at least a few ag policy wonks said that the government didn't shut down and, "that's good news for the farm bill."

The farm bill now is facing a whole new set of roadblocks – and possibly wiped-out bridges.

Then Tuesday hit and history was made as Rep. Matt Gaetz led seven other House Republicans to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy as Speaker.

In the wake of that tsunami, CQ Roll Call quoted House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., saying the vote to remove McCarthy stalls action on any bill.

"The agitators and the Democrats rule the day. In a mutual way, they've really blown up any meaningful legislation. I don't know how you get a speaker with that coalition. Without a speaker, you can't do anything," CQ Roll Call quoted Thompson saying, adding that it could lead to multiple time-consuming rounds of votes for a new speaker.

Early Friday, the path to a new farm bill likely got even more complicated. Former President Donald Trump on his social media platform, Truth Social, declared his support Ohio firebrand Rep. Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Trump said Jordan "will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!"

Along with Jordan, a few of the front-runners so far for the Speaker are House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma Hern leads the Republican Study Committee – one of the largest groups within the GOP caucus -- which earlier this year called for major cuts to the farm safety net and crop insurance, along with cutting nutrition programs in the farm bill.

Jordan, who has served in the House since 2007, has never found a farm bill he likes enough to vote for. He's voted against three of them in Congress.

In the last farm bill battle, the 2018 farm bill initially failed on the House floor, repeating a scenario that began in 2013-14. The GOP-led House saw conservatives vote against the farm bill over immigration issues. The farm bill lost a floor vote 198-213. House Democrats voted against it because of cuts to the nutrition programs. Jordan and 29 other GOP members went against then-Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Jordan, who had helped found the Freedom Caucus, was quoted that the issue was about immigration – a topic the farm bill doesn't address.

At the time, the bill failed even though Trump, as president, had tweeted his support for the bill. "Tomorrow, the House will vote on a strong Farm Bill, which includes work requirements," Trump tweeted on May 17, 2018. "We must support our Nation's great farmers!"

Seven months later, Congress gave final passage to the 2018 farm bill on a 369-47 vote. Jordan voted against it. Before final passage, Jordan he tweeted criticism of the final deal struck on the farm bill because it didn't make changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Jordan also voted against the farm bill in 2013 and 2014 as well. In 2014, he was one of 63 Republicans who voted against final passage.

As a freshman in Congress in 2008, Jordan also opposed passage of the farm bill. Jordan voted no with 90 other Republicans on a bill that passed 318-106. Then President George W. Bush vetoed the bill because he wanted more spending cuts, including cuts to farm programs. The House voted again and it passed 316-108 to become law. Jordan also voted against it.

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ChrisClaytonDTN

(c) Copyright 2023 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.