The farm bill debate depends in part on who controls the House because leadership of the Ag Committee would see definite changes if the GOP wins.
In the Senate
Veteran Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) will lead the Ag panel, assuming she does not jump to another spot. She is up for re-election in 2024. She has proven a staunch defender of her interests in farm bill battles in the past (specialty crops, urban farming, etc.).
During the last farm bill, moderate GOP Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who led the Ag Committee, gave Stabenow billions of dollars for her favorite policy items, a reason why the farm bill sailed through the Senate.
No southern-state lawmaker will lead the Ag panel as the Democrats retained control of the Senate. That means Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) will be the ranking member, making sure southern interests are addressed among a usual Midwest state bias during the debate.
The Fate of the Farm Bill
The bill all depends on the funding level for food and nutrition, which take up around 85% of all farm bill spending.
If Republicans control the House and get too aggressive on altering the food stamp (SNAP) program, history shows this is not how to get a farm bill enacted. If the GOP wins control of the House, many veteran farm bill observers signal a one-year extension, largely due to the work new leadership must do relative to hearings, etc.
Current Poll Counts
As of early Tuesday, Republicans held on to two congressional seats in California and one in New York, putting them one win away from wresting control of the House of Representatives from the Democrats.
The GOP scored a pair of big wins on Monday night with wins in AZ1 and AZ6. The GOP also won a pair of seats in California, along with one in upstate New York.
Nate Cohn writes in the New York Times that Republicans “would be on track to win 221 seats if the latest trends continued, though several of these races remain so close that they could easily go the other way.”
More on elections:
Ballot Counts Continue as Some Republicans Suggest a Break From Trump
‘Red Wave’ of Voters Did Not Happen: Why Were Poll Predictions So Far Off the Mark?
