Count the farm bill as another piece of national legislation that has stalled in the divided and dysfunctional Congress. On Friday, the Senate failed to gather enough votes to limit debate on the bill. The move needed 60 votes and it only garnered 55. Just four Republicans (Grassley, Thune, Coleman and Smith) voted to end debate.
Now what happens? Nothing until the new year, most likely. And there is discussion now of extending the current farm bill until next year — after the 2008 elections. Kansas Representative Jerry Moran, ranking Republican on the House Ag Subcommittee on General Commodities and Risk Management, is co-sponsoring the legislation to extend the current farm bill. Moran told Brownfield that extension was inevitable.
Check out Brownfield’s coverage. Or see stories from the New York Times , the Washington Post and the Des Moines Register .