Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas will not seek reelection in 2020. The House Ag ranking member is expected to announce his retirement this week in Midland, Texas, according to Politico.
Conaway is the top Republican on the House Agriculture Committee and has served stints in the leadership of the National Republican Congressional Committee. An accountant by trade, Conaway has long been a friend to agriculture. It’s no secret that Conaway has been a champion of American agriculture during his 15 years in Congress. He was one of the key lawmakers who reached a deal to get the farm bill done last year.
“Conaway’s support for tighter SNAP work requirements, looser limits on subsidy programs and farm policies that would benefit producers in his home state sometimes caused friction with other top agricultural lawmakers including Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senate Ag ranking member Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.),” Politico reports.
Several Republicans have been jockeying the past few months to garner the top GOP spot on the Ag panel; chairman if Republicans regain control of the House in 2020 elections, according to Pro Farmer’s Jim Wiesemeyer.
