House GOP members plan to cut funding in the short term

Without reaching an agreement that would clear both chambers, Congress is again considering a federal shutdown after September 30.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Los Angeles, released a timeline for Monday but did not mention the continuing resolution proposal.

The House is scheduled to vote on a series of measures in the suspension calendar, including the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and the Sacred Site Act, which Johnson sponsored.

The Senate last week approved by a vote of 91-7 a motion to move forward with H.R. 4366, a minivan for three FY 2024 appropriations bills including the farm bill and the Food and Drug Administration. But Rep. Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, objected to a motion to unanimously agree to move forward with consideration of the amendments.

The Coalition for a Stronger FDA told its members on Friday that Johnson wants the Senate to move forward separately on each of the three bills in the minivan “to mirror the House, which is considering the bills separately.”

“At the end of the week, negotiations were continuing to see if Johnson’s objection could be resolved,” the coalition said.

Amendments introduced to all three minibus bills are listed on Congress’s website.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced an amendment to continue the Office of Urban Agriculture within the Department of Agriculture.

The amendment to the farm bill that has generated the most controversy is one introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, that would prevent the Agriculture Department from finalizing an organic livestock and poultry standards rule.

But the Organic Trade Association said it would launch “comprehensive efforts to combat this attack.”

Noting that Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, introduced a similar measure in the House, OTA said: “The action taken by these lawmakers is unfair, unwarranted, and represents a broader attempt to dismantle the National Organic Program.”

“The OLPS regulations have been under discussion and review for more than 20 years and are widely supported by the organic sector and the public at large. Adopting these amendments would set a dangerous precedent for organic rulemaking and threaten the future of organic products,” the OTA said. .

See also, “Farm Bill Stalls Over Time,” https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ChrisClaytonDTN

Jerry Hagstrom can be reached at jhagstrom@nationaljournal.com

Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @hagstromreport

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