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Click here to listen to AFBF Policy Specialist Tara Smith describe farm bill negotiations leading up to the deadline

With the latest short-term extension set to expire on Friday, April 18, farm bill legislation continues to be gridlocked on Capitol Hill.

The Whitehouse has continued a veto threat against legislation funded through the creation of new taxes and recently recommended a one-year extension of the current farm bill if an agreement is not reached by the deadline.

However, according to Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer, if Congress is closer to completing work on a new farm bill this week, the Bush Administration may allow some leeway on the deadline. The House of Representatives has already passed a one-week extension until April 25, with the Senate expected to vote on the extension before the April 18 deadline.

During a recent presentation, Schafer said if all sides can agree on a framework for the bill that includes farm program reforms, the overall spending level and the funding sources; another short-term extension could be possible. He said if the House and Senate had “fast differences” though, there would not be a recommendation for another short-term extension.

The farm bill’s key players have blamed contention over $10 billion in spending offsets, which are needed for any spending above the baseline budget, as the main holdup, and additional cuts are still required to get the offset funding down to the $10 million limit, which could affect direct payments.

Click here to listen to American Farm Bureau Policy Specialist Tara Smith discuss farm bill negotiations leading up to the deadline.