Ag Policy Blog

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Saturday released a complicated plan to extend government spending after Friday, November 17, and included a plan to extend the farm bill through September 2024.

The four leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees released a statement on a Farm Bill extension on Sunday.

"As negotiations on funding the government progress, we were able to come together to avoid a lapse in funding for critical agricultural programs and provide certainty to producers," the four lawmakers stated. "This extension is in no way a substitute for passing a 5-year Farm Bill and we remain committed to working together to get it done next year."

That statement was issued by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., the chairwoman and ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, as well as Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., and Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., the chair and ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee.

The New York Times and other media outlets noted that the proposal extends funding for some federal agencies including USDA until late January and other agencies through early February.

The proposal does not include aid to Israel or Ukraine and faces great uncertainty on the House floor.

Johnson on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted statements on Saturday and Sunday explaining his approach to funding the federal government.

"Washington's spending addiction cannot be broken overnight. But I will not allow end of year megabus spending packages to continue under my leadership. This CR delivers for the country and ensures @HouseGOP is in the best possible position to fight for fiscal responsibility, oversight, and meaningful policy changes," Johnson stated on Sunday.

The House Rules Committee has scheduled a meeting to consider the measure on Monday at 4 p.m. Eastern. The meeting could set up consideration of the bill on the House floor as early as Tuesday.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "This proposal is just a recipe for more Republican chaos and more shutdowns -- full stop."

"With just days left before an extreme Republican shutdown -- and after shutting down Congress for three weeks after they ousted their own leader -- House Republicans are wasting precious time with an unserious proposal that has been panned by members of both parties," Jean-Pierre said.

"An extreme Republican shutdown would put critical national security and domestic priorities at risk, including by forcing service members to work without pay. This comes just days after House Republicans were forced to pull two of their own extreme appropriations bills from the floor -- further deepening their dysfunction.

"House Republicans need to stop wasting time on their own political divisions, do their jobs, and work in a bipartisan way to prevent a shutdown," Jean-Pierre said.

Jean-Pierre was referring to the House leadership's decisions not to hold floor votes on the Transportation-Housing and Urban Development bill and the financial services bill that would fund the Treasury Department and other financial agencies because the Republicans did not have the votes to pass those measures.

DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton contributed to this report.

Jerry Hagstrom can be reached at jhagstrom@nationaljournal.com

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

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