Grassley doubts new Farm Bill will be passed before end of year

NEW HARTFORD — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he doubts a new Farm Bill will be approved before the end of the year.

Speaking with ag reporters earlier today, Grassley says with the schedule that Congress has between now and December 31st, there won’t be enough time to hammer out a deal.  “It just seems to me with two weeks in November that we’re going to be meeting and then three weeks after Thanksgiving before Christmas, with the other things we have to do like the defense bill and all 12 appropriations bills, it just doesn’t seem to me that there’s going to be time for a Farm Bill.”

Grassley says there’s some unconfirmed rumors that there’s been progress between the House and Senate on brokering a Farm Bill deal, but he wants to make sure there’s adequate time allowed to fully debate any proposed legislation.  “If we’re going to have a Farm Bill before Christmas, then it ought to be done by regular order so those of us that have ways of improving the Farm Bill beyond what the chairman of the committee might propose to the other members of the committee that we have opportunities for debate and amendment.”

A one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill expired on September 30th. Last year, that one-year extension was passed in mid-November.