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Category: On the Hill

Senate Passes Bipartisan Farm Bill

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This evening, the Senate passed S. 954, the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013, by a vote of 66 to 27. Eighteen Republican Senators voted for the measure. Last Thursday, the Senate voted 75  to 22 to invoke cloture (limit further debate) on the bill and members of the Senate unanimously agreed that the only amendment remaining in order to the bill would be an amendment regarding rural broadband internet access. Although there were 260 amendments filed to the bill, only a few dozen were actually considered. Thursday’s agreement also precluded Democrats and Republicans from crafting a package of amendments that could be made to the bill prior to final passage.

Title VII of bill, as passed by the Senate this evening, includes most of the reauthorizations and programmatic “tweaks” higher education sought with respect to research, extension, and higher education programs administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). It also includes mandatory funding (not subject to annual appropriations) for five NIFA-administered programs and establishes a new Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research with $200 million in mandatory funds for this new 501(c)(3) organization.

For additional information about the Senate bill, see: www.land-grant.org/reports/2013/CLP/05-16.htm

The House is expected to consider H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, later this month. Both House Major Leader Eric Cantor and Speaker John Boehner have expressed their willingness to bring the Farm Bill to the floor under a rule that will permit spirited debate. The Speaker issued a news release today, encouraging House members to move the bill ahead saying: “If you have ideas on how to make the bill better, bring them forward. Let’s have the debate, and let’s vote on them.”

The House bill includes most of higher education’s many requests reauthorization requests for the NIFA. It House bill also provides mandatory funds for three programs administered by NIFA. Although major floor amendments to the Research and Extension Title (Title VII) of the bill are not expected at this time, the situation is extremely fluid. There are additional provisions involving NIFA-related proposals (as agreed upon by the BAA’s Committee on Legislation and Policy) that are being monitored for inclusion on the floor or later in the process depending on the situation.

UW’s College of the Environment receives NIFA funds and the Office of Federal Relations is tracking the progress of the Farm Bill closely.

Budget Update

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Both the House and Senate are in session this week; just three more weeks of work before they break for the Fourth of July week. This week the House will take up the annual defense authorization bill, while the Senate completes work on its version of the farm bill and considers immigration legislation.

FY14 Appropriations: Last week the House passed its first two FY14 spending bills and should move another two by the end of this month. The House passed the Military Construction-VA and Homeland Security spending bills despite two veto threats, and Senate appropriators are set to mark up funding measures in the coming weeks. But the two chambers are operating off vastly different top-line budget numbers — given that the House and Senate haven’t come close to reaching a budget deal — meaning the measures may not come to the Senate floor and setting the stage for another stopgap spending bill this fall. At this point in the process, it appears that the House wants to pass the defense-related bills up front, leaving the later bills to be rolled up into a continuing resolution (CR) later in the year.

House appropriators are set to move two additional spending bills this week: Defense and Agriculture. House GOP leaders expect the bills on the floor before the July Fourth break. If those bills move through committee and pass the floor as expected, the House will have passed a quarter of its annual spending bills by the Fourth of July. The Senate, meanwhile, may not approve any of their spending bills before the break.

Debt Limit: Republicans continue to demand concessions in the form of deficit-reduction measures in return for increasing the government’s borrowing limit. Discussions are ongoing and there is still time to come to an agreement as the debt limit may not need to be addressed until this fall.

Student Loan Bills Fail in Senate

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This morning, the Senate took up both S 953, the Reed-Harkin-Reid-Murray two year extension of 3.4% interest rate on student loans and the Senate Republican alternative, S 1003, sponsored by Senators Tom Colburn and Lamar Alexander.  The Senate Republican bill would have tied student loan interest rates to the 10-year Treasury note rate plus 3 percentage-points.

The Chamber was technically voting to invoke cloture on motions to proceed to consideration on the measure. Both bills needed 60 votes in order to proceed to debate.  As expected, both bills of the competing measures failed to reach the 60-vote mark.

S 953 (Reed-Harkin-Reid) received a vote of 51-46.

S 1003 (Coburn-Alexander) received a vote of 40-57.

 

Today in Congress: Student Loan Bills

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The Senate is in at 9:00am and will hold three procedural votes on the farm bill and two rival bills to keep interest rates low for student loans. It’s not certain either can clear the 60-vote threshold in the Senate. The Republican-led House already has taken action on loans – and drawn a veto threat from Obama. Interest rates on new subsidized Stafford loans are set to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent if Congress doesn’t act by July 1, but talks between Democrats and Republicans have largely broken down.

The House is also in at 9:00am, with votes expected between 11:00am and 1:00pm on the Homeland Security Appropriations Act. The White House has threatened a veto, stating Congress shouldn’t consider spending bills until the House and Senate agree on an overall budget framework.

Later this afternoon, Senator Frank Lautenberg’s (D-NJ) casket will arrive at the East Senate Steps of the Capitol. A Color Guard ceremony will be held, and then Lautenberg will lie in repose on the Lincoln catafalque in the well of the Senate. Senators and staffers will get a chance to pay their respects. Reporters will have access to the press gallery of the Senate Chamber, and members of the public will have an opportunity to pay respects from the gallery.

Senate Moves to Add Student Loans Fix to Farm Bill

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The Senate continues to consider the Farm Bill this week. More than 200 amendments are pending consideration to the Farm Bill, including S953, known as the Reed, Harkin, Reid, Murray bill which would would increase taxes on multinational corporations to pay for a two-year extension for student loans at 3.4 percent. Senate Democratic leadership added the measure as an amendment last Friday.

Although it is not guaranteed to be considered as an amendment to the Farm Bill this week, the Senate will likely hold side-by-side votes on Reed’s plan and a House-passed Republican measure (HR1911) that the House passed last week which would peg the interest rates to the 10-year Treasury note. Each vote would require a 60-vote threshold for passage. It is expected that both measures would likely fail, thus increasing the pressure on the sides to develop a compromise.

Last Friday, Obama has blasted the House-passed bill, saying the legislation could saddle students with more debt than if rates are allowed to double to 6.8 percent on July 1, as scheduled.

The Office of Federal Relations will continue tracking this issue as it continues to develop.