Agricultural News
House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas Will Push Back on Farm Policy Changes Approved by House Appropriations Committee
Fri, 03 Jun 2011 9:48:14 CDT
The Chairman of the House Ag Committee, Oklahoma Third District Congressman Frank Lucas, does not plan to go along quietly with the efforts of Republican Jeff Flake and Democrat Rosa DeLauro in the House Appropriations Committee as they offered amendments that were accepted by a voice vote by the full Committee that have huge farm policy considerations in the final year of the 2008 Farm law, as well as what lawmakers may be able to do as the 2012 Farm Bill is crafted.
Congressman Flake offered an amendment that would reduce Commodity Title Spending for Direct Farm Payments to cotton producers to cover the $147 million dollars owed Brazil that is a part of the settlement of the WTO cotton case the South American case brought against the US and won. Congresswoman DeLauro then latched onto the $147 million that was in the Ag Subcommittee report to up the spending levels for the WIC nutrition program. Congressman Lucas says the members of the Appropriations Committee jumped into the policy arena in a huge way and made the job of the House Ag Committee a lot more difficult. Congressman Lucas tells Ron Hays that he will be talking to the Rules Committee and Republican leadership about these measures and their place within this Appropriations measure- and that he hopes to change the mind of Congress on the floor when this package is considered by the House.
Hays also talked with Congressman Lucas about the Senate Ag Committee's Field Hearing of earlier this week, the timing of writing new farm policy, the GIPSA Marketing Rule and Free Trade Agreements and the problem the Obama Administration is having with getting those trade pacts with Columbia, Panama and South Korea transmitted to the Congress for a final vote.
Click on the LISTEN BAR below for the full ten minute conversation that Ron Hays had with the Chairman of the House Ag Committee, Frank Lucas, on Friday morning, June 3, 2011.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...
