Agricultural News
Congressman Frank Lucas On the Possibility of a Change in Leadership, and What that would look like for Agriculture
Fri, 30 Oct 2020 09:44:41 CDT
Oklahomans are getting ready to cast their ballots for the November 3rd election with several critical topics this year. Radio Oklahoma Ag network Farm Director Ron Hays caught up with Congressman Frank Lucas to get his feel on the upcoming election and why it's so important to vote on these issues,
Lucas worries that if we do have a change in leadership, how that will affect agriculture, "You have a dramatic difference in the direction that their supporters and their platforms want to take you." He says in the past years, EPA administrator Andrew wheeler has been one of the most logical, rational EPA directors we have had for a long time, "He understands Ag, he understands the energy industry, but then he had spent a number of years working for Senator Jim Inhofe. Who will we get to replace Andrew?" Lucas also appreciates the work of Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, "Having a Secretary who has been a Governor, who comes from a state that is diverse in agriculture as we have in Oklahoma, he understood the full spectrum of crops, and he's been a pleasure to work with as we've tried to address the bureaucratic things like that."
While Congressman Lucas hopes he will be reelected on the republican side, he also hopes House Ag Chairman Democrat Colin Peterson from Minnesota will again be reelected so they can continue their work "If Colin were not there anymore, then you get a generational change, you get a huge perspective change." He mentions that the other Senior democrats on the House Ag Committee are good people, but they have an entirely different perspective than Peterson.
Lucas said he hopes to be around for the next farm bill cycle on the ag committee. He said it becomes more complicated if fewer Republicans in the united states house in January after the election. He hopes to be back as the Chairman for the next farm bill. "We don't do the farm bill until 2023, so it's not this coming session but the following session, and I will be back for the next farm bill. Agricultural Economics is my University training from Oklahoma State University. Whether it's This January, or January two years from now. I'll be back for the farm bill."
Ron and the Congressman also talk about CFAP 2 and the health of rural hospitals; you can click or tap below to hear their complete conversation.
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