New Hartford, Iowa — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is predicting an extension of the 2018 Farm Bill will be in the temporary spending bill Congress is likely to pass in the next few weeks to keep the government operating.
Congress voted last November to extend the policies of the 2018 Farm Bill, which had expired on September 30th. So far this year, the House Agriculture Committee has voted for a new version of the Farm Bill, but the measure hasn’t been brought up for a vote in the full House and negotiations in the Senate haven’t produced a bill yet either. Grassley, a Republican who serves on the Senate Ag Committee, says the new Farm Bill needs to include higher price supports for commodities like corn and soybeans.
Congress has a September 30th deadline to pass budget bills, but 1997 was the last time that happened. Lawmakers instead pass a measure that funds all government agencies. Grassley says that move should happen well before September 30th.
After the House and Senate passed a short-term spending plan last September, a handful of Republicans successfully removed Kevin McCarthy from his role as House Speaker.
