MARKUP AFTERMATH: In case you (somehow) missed it, House Ag Chair G.T. Thompson’s (R-Pa.) farm bill advanced out of committee with a 33-21 bipartisan vote before the holiday weekend. Though four committee Democrats joined Republicans (calling the bill a “first step”), the bill’s path forward is uncertain as the already-extended Sept. 30 deadline nears. As we wrote after Thursday’s markup, the ongoing fight will likely grow increasingly bitter given partisan fighting over nutrition and climate policies. INDUSTRY REACTS: The National Corn Growers Association, which hadn’t officially weighed in on the farm bill draft, praised many of the programs under the House farm bill and noted that broad bipartisan support will be necessary for a farm bill to be finalized this year. Other ag groups — like the American Soybean Association, National Sorghum Producers, Corn Refiners Association, Almond Alliance, the U.S. Dairy Export Council — have expressed approval of the bill’s farm safety net, crop insurance, trade promotion and conservation programs. The NCGA supported “several amendments” filed by committee members, including Max Miller’s (R-Ohio) on sustainable aviation fuel and Dusty Johnson’s (R-S.D.) amendment regarding the mandatory base acre update. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition also lauded the farm bill product: “The Committee’s affirmation of SAF as an advanced biofuel in the farm bill will make SAF eligible for important [USDA] programs and help to develop a critical new market for crops and agricultural waste streams.” ABOUT THOSE AMENDMENTS: During the markup, Republicans blocked Democratic amendments to reverse GOP moves on nutrition, USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation and climate-smart guardrails on conservation funding. On hemp: Another key amendment prohibits intoxicating hemp products under the farm bill, as our Natalie Fertig reported. That amendment, brought by Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.), changes the definition of legal hemp to only include non-intoxicating cannabinoids that are derived naturally from the cannabis plant. Child labor debate: Rep. Greg Casar’s (D-Texas) amendment stating that USDA will not contract with meatpacking facilities that engage in illegal child labor was shot down in a party-line vote. Instead, committee members voted to initiate a Government Accountability Office study on child labor. Thompson also said during the markup that he would invite acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to talk before the committee about child labor in agriculture. For context: The Biden administration has said it’s stepping up efforts to combat child labor violations following a New York Times investigation showing a number of factories using child labor. In a release, Casar cited a Food & Environment Reporting Network analysis that 75 percent of recent child labor violations were in the food industry. DEM NEGOTIATIONS: Intense opposition from Senate Democrats will further complicate the future of Thompson’s farm bill. Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said in a statement after the House markup that she’s “glad” the process is moving forward, but reiterated her disdain for Thompson’s policy proposals. “Despite areas of common ground, it is now clear that key parts of the House bill split the Farm Bill coalition in a way that makes it impossible to achieve the votes to become law. And it is also clear that we do not have time to waste on proposals that cannot meet that goal.” A ‘break glass option’: Vulnerable Democrats facing tough re-elections desperately want to forge a bipartisan farm bill before the current farm bill authorities expire at the end of September. As Meredith and Nicholas Wu scooped, some House Democrats are considering sidelining Scott and anointing a new chief negotiator to restart bipartisan talks over the bill or if there’s an effort to move the bill on the House floor.
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