Lawmakers continue developing policy for the new farm bill due next year. Texas Republican Mike Conaway, Chair of the House Ag Committee, says developments in the Senate this week mean the Farm Bill process can move forward.
?The senate budget (passed) and there has been a question market eliminated which was mandatory spending cuts from the house version, those have gone away for the time being, so we can move forward,? Conaway says.
He still plans for the farm bill process in the House to wrap up within the next couple of months.
?We?re still on track for late fourth quarter or early first quarter to make that happen. Obviously, November looks to be consumed by tax reform but it?s going to be ready. We have good people working on it.?
Conaway says there are some hard decisions ahead when it comes to the available funding and the needs in agriculture.
?There are alot of difficult questions to answer moving forward. I?ve been tongue and cheek talking about the honeymoon period I?ve been in for the last two years and nine months because I haven?t made anyone mad.?
He says he is starting to get to the part of his business where he makes people mad and will have to make difficult choices.
