The Senate Agriculture Committee recessed on Thursday after working on the farm bill markup for over three hours and hitting a stalemate with Democrats demanding that Republicans delay a requirement that states share the cost of providing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits by two years, rejecting a one year delay compromise.

“We’re holding hostage the people that were charged to help,” said Committee Chairman Chairman John Boozman (R-AR). “This is not about SNAP recipients. This is about the states with very, very high error rates. We’re holding hostage our farm community. And when you take livestock out of it, this is one of the poorest industries right now in America. And it’s not just farmers and ranchers. It’s rural America. And so we’re charged to help them. And right now we’re not able to do that because of this.”
Senate ag farm bill markup - Boozman 1:45

Sen. Boozman chose to recess the committee rather than adjourn and come back in September to reconsider. Ranking member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) issued a statement that she is committed to continuing to work with Chairman Boozman to get the bill done. “There are good things in it for our farmers and ranchers, including year-round E-15, a provision I have long led on,” said Klobuchar. “Our members are simply asking for the two-year delay (on the SNAP requirement) so all states will be on the same footing in working to reduce their error rates.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley expressed his frustration at the lack of bipartisanship on the agriculture committee. “I’ve been on the Agriculture Committee since way back 1992. During that time, I’ve participated in seven different five-year farm bills. All of them were very bipartisan. It’s a shame that Democrats will not join us in the bill this year,” said Grassley. Instead, the Democrats on the committee are using our farmers as a sacrificial lamb in an attempt to score political points.”
Senate ag farm bill markup - Grassley 1:52

An amendment was put forward in the committee by Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) offering a simplified version of the E15 language included in the farm bill. “It would remove the many complicated exemptions that are included in the committee bill, and it would also also reduce the cost of the committee’s bill by roughly $2 billion,” said Smith.

Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), who sponsored the original Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to allow year-round sales of E15, opposed Sen. Smith’s amendment as “disingenuous.”

“It does not have the votes to pass the Senate. It does not have the votes to pass the House. We have tried it before. It has become nothing more than a messaging bill and our farmers don’t need another messaging exercise,” said Fischer. The chairman ultimately tabled the amendment since it is contrary to the existing E15 language in the bill that was already approved by the Environment and Public Works Committee.

Listen to the discussion below:
Senate ag farm bill markup - E15 11:03