Last Tuesday, a vote to vacate the Speaker of the House position was passed by a very slim majority. Only six votes separated “yay” from “nay.” It’s just the latest in the unfolding drama in the rift in the entire House as a whole, and the Republican party. So, politics and partisanship aside, what does this mean for the country? What does it mean for Ag? Will this affect any chances for the Farm Bill to get done?
Tomorrow, October 10th, the Republicans will choose a new nominee for the position to bring before the House. Right now, the front-runners are Steve Scalise (R-LA 1st), the current House Majority Leader, and Jim Jordan (R-OH 4th). However, this doesn’t mean that another candidate couldn’t emerge.
Ethan Lane is Vice President of Government Affairs with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), and he says he has spoken to many members of the House about the current situation.
The House can still conduct business as Rep Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is presiding as the House Speaker Pro Tempore. This means there could be a chance to get bills moving even during the process of finding a new permanent Speaker of the House.
The Farm Bill is one of those important bills languishing on bureaucratic life support and has concerns from Ag Republicans as being too harsh on the cuts to agriculture funding.
Of course, this complicates things as the 45-day deadline of November 17th looms large to get a budget passed. Lane gives his prediction of the possibilities.
