Wisconsin Ag Connection - Rep. Baldwin Joins Effort to Force Vote on Farm Bill

Wisconsin Ag News Headlines

Rep. Baldwin Joins Effort to Force Vote on Farm Bill
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 09/21/2012

So far, only one Wisconsin Congressional member has joined a bipartisan effort in the House of Representatives to force a vote on a new five-year farm bill. Rep. Tammy Baldwin signed the 'Motion to Discharge' document, which is a parliamentary move to force the House leadership to hold an up-or-down vote on specific pieces of legislation.

The Madison Democrat, who is running for U.S. Senate against former Gov. Tommy Thompson, says the farm bill reforms programs, strengthens farm safety nets and gives farmers long term certainty.

"Congress must not break from its current session until farmers have a new farm bill and the certainty that it will provide," Baldwin said. "The clock is ticking and there's simply no more time for political game playing."

Baldwin says she is opposed to an extension of the existing farm bill, which she claims 'contains wasteful spending, including direct payments to millionaires and billionaires.'

Earlier this year, the Senate passed its own version of the farm bill. But House Speaker John Boehner confirmed this week that he will not bring the measure up for vote in his chamber until after the November election. Without action, the current farm bill will expire on September 30.

Last week, Rep. Bruce Braley of Iowa introduced the discharge petition, which so far as 62 signatures--well short of the 218 needed to force action on a vote.

Republican leaders say the bill has become controversial because nearly 80-percent of the funding goes for food assistance programs, rather than to help family farms. But those who favor signing the bill now says the package is necessary to retain farm safety net programs for struggling dairy farmers, as well as crop producers who are vulnerable to natural disasters from the weather.

Other Wisconsin Headlines