House punts agriculture bill

Eric Cantor insists that the delay is not him 

saying “no” to a farm bill this year. | AP Photo 

By DAVID ROGERS

Call it the farm bill two-step.

Having delayed a farm bill markup in deference to an agriculture appropriations bill due on the floor next week, the House Republican leadership confirmed Friday that the $19.4 billion appropriations measure isn’t likely to come up either before the July Fourth recess.

Instead Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has assigned the first slot to a transportation appropriations bill which will be called up Tuesday night. Given the press of other legislation—and some annual social events for lawmakers—both the leader’s office and the Appropriations Committee signaled that it is unlikely the agriculture measure will make it to the floor before the holiday.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) was described as unfazed. But just days ago, Cantor asked him to delay any action on the farm bill precisely because of the conflict. Why the leader didn’t follow through and schedule the agriculture appropriations first next week is unclear. But it is sure to feed into doubts that he and top GOP leaders really want to move on a farm bill this summer at all.

Cantor’s office insists that is not the case and he is not saying “no” to a farm bill this year. But his top advisers admit too that they were taken by surprise this week when the Senate completed its farm bill with bipartisan support. Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, the ranking Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, told reporters after the Senate vote that he would seek out Cantor and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to press them on the need for action before the current farm law expires Sept. 30.

For his part, Lucas remains committed to his new markup date of July 11 and has apparently been promised by the leadership that the same appropriations conflict won’t come back and haunt him then.

“Regardless of how the schedule progresses next week, we have assurances from leadership that House consideration of the [agriculture appropriations] bill will not interfere with our scheduled farm bill markup on July 11,” said a spokesperson for the chairman.

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