Reconciliation rolls on!

The House Agriculture Committee has scheduled a mark up to consider a proposal to satisfy the
Agriculture Committee’s reconciliation instructions required by S. Con. Res. 14 on Friday, September 10^th at 1:00 pm - view here.  The agriculture portion of the partisan Reconciliation bill is intended to implement President Biden’s Build Back Better $3.5 trillion agenda.  The legislation has been “pre-conferenced” by the House and Senate Agriculture Committees so little change is expected during the markup on Friday. 

The Reconciliation bill proposal is intended to address the following areas:

• Agriculture conservation, drought, and forestry programs to help reduce carbon emissions and prevent wildfires.
• Rural development and rural co-op clean energy investments.
• Agricultural climate research and research infrastructure.
• Civilian Climate Corps funding.
• Child nutrition.
• Debt relief.

Statutory language implementing the proposals may be found here.

There is a $35 billion difference in House and Senate Agriculture Committees due to the differences in jurisdiction concerning child nutrition programs which the House Education and Labor Committee will consider Thursday, September 9^th. 

Passage of the $3.5 trillion reconciliation proposal is uncertain.  Currently, moderate House Democrats have been expressing their dissatisfaction with the proposal and Senator Joe Manchin D-WV is rumored to support only $1.5 trillion in spending.   Coupled with the end of the month vote on the bipartisan infrastructure package and Democratic policy disagreements, the path forward for the reconciliation proposal is rocky.