Iowa congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a member of the House Appropriations Committee’s agriculture subcommittee, defended her vote against the ag appropriations bill in September, saying it "really made cuts that would undermine rural America."
Hinson spoke this week on Agri-Pulse Newsmakers about the appropriations process and other subjects, including the farm bill and the models under consideration to measure the carbon intensity of ethanol.
The House voted 191-237 on Sept. 28 to defeat H.R. 4368, more commonly known as the Agriculture Appropriations Bill. Hinson, who supported the bill in committee, voted against it on the floor, joining 26 other Republicans and all the Democrats who voted.
At the time, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said that the bill would effectively cut USDA’s budget by 18%.
“The bill that we had passed out of our committee did cut wasteful spending at a lot of these agencies while still … making the necessary targeted investments in agriculture,” she said. “But when it came to the floor after the rule process, it really went beyond that in my mind.”
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“So as far as next steps, we are continuing to work both with our colleagues here in the House and with our colleagues in the Senate, because we’re going to need to have a final version of this legislation that really does put our farmers first,” she said.
Last week, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., laid out his timeline for the appropriations bills that need to be passed by the House, which has the ag bill being considered the week of Nov. 13. That schedule, however, may be slipping, with Ag Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., telling Politico that he doesn't even think the bill will come to the floor.
Anne Steckel of the National Farmers Union and T.A. Hawks of Monument Advocacy were also on the show this week to discuss the appropriations bill.
“A lot of important programs are at stake and we want to get that done in addition to the farm bill,” Steckel said.
To see the full conversations with Hinson, Steckel and Hawks, visit www.Agri-Pulse.com.