Washington DC Update

September 9, 2021

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 10th 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 9th

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.

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