Friday’s farm bill vote was a game of chicken between Speaker Paul Ryan, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and the Freedom Caucus. Policy Solutions President and CEO Jay Truitt says the Freedom Caucus played it all the way to the end. When the bill failed, Ryan moved to reconsider. “Parliamentary procedure-wise, this means the bill can be brought up in the future after dealing with the immigration issue.” Truitt sees a bigger problem in the Senate. “I don’t think the Senate can function as quickly as the House in the first place and they’re already behind. The odds of having a bill by September 30 dramatically slipped. It takes weeks to get back on the schedule and get back in line.”
RRFN’s Farm Bill Focus coverage is sponsored, in part, by the North Dakota Corn Growers Association.