House leadership appoints farm bill conferees

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-WI, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, July 18, named the House conferees on the farm bill.

The Republican list consists of 29 members, reflecting how Ryan has made nutrition programs a priority in the bill. In a statement accompanying the list, Ryan decided to deemphasize the commodity, rural development and conservation sections of the bill and highlighted the bill as the last plank of his “Better Way” agenda before he leaves office in January as it, “includes critical reforms to close the skills gap and help more Americans move from welfare to work.”

In his statement, Ryan said, “We see this farm bill as pivotal for building a sturdier ladder of opportunity in America. With all this momentum in our economy, there could not be a better time to help more people move from welfare to work.

“This is a chance to close the skills gap, better equip our workforce, and support much-needed development in rural communities. I look forward to working with (House Agriculture Committee) Chairman (Mike) Conaway (R-TX) and all of these lawmakers on these vital reforms.”

Pelosi named 18 Democrats to the conference committee.

“With America’s farmers, producers and ranchers facing plummeting prices, rising retaliatory tariffs and a struggling farm economy, we need a real robust, bipartisan farm bill more than ever,” Pelosi said.

“While House Republicans chose to advance a destructive and partisan bill that fails farmers and hungry families, this conference will provide an opportunity to return to the grand bipartisan tradition of robust farm bills. Our diverse and dynamic House Democratic conferees will bring the strength of their values and wide-ranging expertise to the work of hammering out a bipartisan farm bill that honors our responsibility to the men and women of agriculture and hungry families.”

Conaway said in a news release: “Today, we move one step closer to delivering a strong, new farm bill to the president’s desk on time as he has called on Congress to do. America’s farmers and ranchers and rural America are struggling right now and they deserve the certainty of a strong farm bill to see them through to better times.

The House has pulled together a solid team of conferees from across the country who are committed to working with our Senate colleagues to reach a final product that helps millions of low-income Americans climb the economic ladder while standing by the hard-working farm and ranch families who put food on our tables and clothes on our backs.”

House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson, D-MN, said in a statement, “The mood in farm country is bad. It’s bad because of the administration’s trade war; it’s bad because of declines in farm income; and it’s bad because of volatile weather like the floods in the southern part of my district. Farmers and ranchers are staring a historically bad year in the face, and another hit would mean devastation for many of them.” 

House Republican conferees

House Agriculture Committee conferees areChairman Mike Conaway, R-TX; Glenn Thompson, R-PA; Bob Goodlatte, R-VA; Frank Lucas, R-OK; Mike Rogers, R-AL; Austin Scott, R-GA; Rick Crawford, R-AR; Vicky Hartzler, R-MO; Rodney Davis, R-IL; Ted Yoho, R-FL; David Rouzer, R-NC; Roger Marshall, R-KS; and Jodey Arrington, R-TX.

House Education and the Workforce Committee conferees are Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-NC; and Rick Allen, R-GA. House Energy and Commerce Committee conferees are John Shimkus, R-IL; and Kevin Cramer, R-ND. House Financial Services Committee conferees are Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-TX; and Sean Duffy, R-WI. House Foreign Affairs Committee conferees are Chairman Ed Royce, R-CA; and Steve Chabot, R-OH. House Natural Resources Committee conferee Chairman Rob Bishop, R-UT; and Bruce Westerman, R-AR. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Mark Walker, R-NC; and James Comer, R-KY. House Science, Space, and Technology Committeeconferees Ralph Abraham, R-LA; and Neal Dunn, R-FL. House Transportation and Infrastructure Jeff Denham, R-CA; and Bob Gibbs, R-OH.

House Democratic conferees

House Agriculture Committee conferees are Ranking Member Collin Peterson, D-MN; David Scott, D-GA; Jim Costa, D-CA; Tim Walz, D-MN; Marcia Fudge, D-OH; Jim McGovern, D-MA; Filemon Vela, D-TX; Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-NM; Ann Kuster, D-NH; and Tom O’Halleran, D-AZ.

House Education and the Workforce Committee conferee is Alma Adams, D-NC. House Energy and Commerce Committee conferee is Paul Tonko, D-NY. House Financial Services Committee conferee is Maxine Waters, D-CA. House Foreign Affairs Committee conferee is Eliot Engel, D-NY. House Natural Resources Committee conferee is Raul Grijalva, D-AZ. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee conferee is Stacey Plaskett, D-VI. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee conferee is Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-TX. House Transportation and Infrastructure conferee is Cheri Bustos, D-IL.

Larry Dreiling can be reached at 785-628-1117 or [email protected].