The full House worked until the early hours of Wednesday morning on the agriculture appropriations bill. A variety of issues were debated, ranging from climate change to animal identification. Indiana Republican Victoria Spartz introduced an amendment demanding more transparency in the mandatory commodity checkoff programs. Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie said the checkoff programs may have begun with good intentions, “but, it is pretty well known in Washington, D.C. that this program has gone rotten and no longer services farmers.” House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson opposed to the amendment. Thompson said this issue should not be addressed in the appropriations process. “I’m a strong supporter of research and promotion programs and will wholeheartedly advocate for their continued existance,” said Thompson. “I believe any debate surrounding the integrity of these programs should be reserved for farm bill deliberations.”
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