Politics - Neg Politics DA Supplement - Michigan 7 2023 CPSW

Supplement - Neg Politics DA Updates - CPSW
Thank you to Charlotte, Corrine, Maha, Raman, Skye, and Tyler for their work on this supplement file.
---Farm Bill Updates
2NC/1NR - Will Pass
Farm bill will pass – momentum, insiders are optimistic, but it will require continued attention and focus
Amie Simpson 7/18 [a journalist who received her degree from Indiana University and works in the specific area of agriculture, “DON’T COUNT THE FARM BILL OUT IN ‘23”, 7/18/23, https://brownfieldagnews.com/news/dont-count-the-farm-bill-out-in-23/, Brownfield Ag News]//rurallion
Ranking Member John Boozman says the Senate Ag Committee is working hard and moving in the right direction to complete a farm bill.
“Right now we’re actually getting text down on paper—that’s a good thing,” he says. “We’re trying to get this done by October 1st when it runs out, but we want to get it done for sure by the end of the year.”
Speaking to Brownfield during an Indiana Farm Bureau Shop Talk meeting Monday in Indiana, he said he’s hopeful the farm bill can be completed this year.
“The problem is when you get into the election years and election-year politics, it makes it harder (to get things done),” he says. “Both sides would like to get this done by the first of the year.”
John Newton, chief economist for Senate Ag Committee Republicans, says the committee has been working on the farm bill since April 2022.
During a phone interview on Monday, he told Brownfield the committee has made progress during hearings and listening sessions.
“Since then, we’ve had a total of about 20 full committee and subcommittee hearings,” he says. “Senator Boozman was in Indiana on Monday. He has been in a number of other states hearing from stakeholders. He was in Wyoming, Kentucky, Nevada, and North Carolina. He has several other states he plans to visit during the August recess. That’s all an information gathering process, listening to stakeholders, making sure that we’re listening to the grassroots producers on what they need in this farm bill. Then our staff is taking that information. We’re working with Senator Stabenow’s staff, G.T. Thompson’s folks, and all four corners to try to identify the low hanging fruit and start getting this farm bill down on paper so we can get it done this year.”
Historically the farm bill has bipartisan support and Boozman says he is working alongside Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow in hearings in D.C. and listening sessions across the country with the goal of hearing feedback from as many constituents as possible.
“Specialty crops are very different than some of our row crops. Animal agriculture is different. The list goes on and on,” he says. “The farm bill title also is all about nutrition and rural America. We’re making sure that aspect is in good shape and then taking all that information and putting it together to come up with a farm bill that we can all be very proud of.”
Senators Braun and Boozman are working closely to make sure that the Farm Bill will pass.
Eric Pfeiffer 7/19 [the Agricultural Content Manager for HAT, compiling local news stories for air and additional stories for our website and newsletter. “Boozman, Braun Optimistic a New Farm Bill Happens This Year”, 7/19/23, https://hoosieragtoday.news/boozman-braun-optimistic-a-new-farm-bill-happens-this-year/, Hoosier Ag]//rurallion
Time is running out to get an on-time Farm Bill across the finish line. The current Farm Bill expires at the end of September.
“Farm bills aren’t about Democrats and Republicans,” says Republican Senator John Boozman from Arkansas, Ranking Member of the Senate Ag Committee. He was in Indiana this week and told us that it’s not partisan politics slowing them down. “We’re actually working very, very close together with Senator Stabenow.”
Despite running out of days that Congress is in session, Boozman is optimistic that a Farm Bill can get done this calendar year if not before the September 30th deadline. He hopes that it doesn’t get pushed into next year when election politics could make things more difficult.
“Also, if we get it done before the end of the year, you don’t really have to worry about continuation of farm programs. There’s not much you have to do so that we continue on just like we are right now.”
Fellow Senate Ag Committee member Mike Braun invited Boozman to his home state to hear from farmers. Braun says if we don’t get the Farm Bill done this year, it’ll be because, “We don’t do our job like all other Americans do to where you get it done on time. All your local and state governments, they get it done within their fiscal year.
“We know every year that it gets pushed up to the deadline and still seem to do worse. That’s got to change at the federal level. We’ve got to go back to budgeting, regular order, getting on this the first day of the new fiscal year, break the bad habits that have given us such poor results.”
Boozman, Braun, and Indiana Senator Todd Young wrapped up their day Monday speaking with farmers at an Indiana Farm Bureau Talk Shop in Tippecanoe County after visiting Fair Oaks and the Purdue Agronomy Center for Research and Education earlier in the day.
The farm bill has been historically bipartisan, and Republicans are ready to back the bill again.
Jonathan D. Salant 7/5 [assistant managing editor, politics, supervise Washington coverage for the Post-Gazette and play a key role in planning and covering the 2024 elections. Former president of the D.C. chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. “Rep. Thompson in middle of action as Congress debates farm bill,” 7/5/23, https://www.bradfordera.com/news/rep-thompson-in-middle-of-action-as-congress-debates-farm-bill/article_7e775006-1b58-11ee-a02b-e36031cc63b5.html //rurallion
Adding to the interest is that few pieces of legislation are expected to pass with Republicans controlling the House and Democrats in the majority in the Senate. The farm bill is an exception.
”It is one of the few pieces of legislation that people suspect will get across the finish line,” said Anne MacMillan, chair of the food and agriculture practice group for Invariant, which last year was paid $36.2 million to lobby — the fifth-highest among all firms, according to the research group OpenSecrets.
”Any entity or lobbyist worth their weight is going to try to pull out all the stops on any moving vehicle,” MacMillan added. “You’ll see the uptick in engagement.”
BIPARTISAN APPROACH
That’s because the bill traditionally brings together Democrats and Republicans — and rural residents and city dwellers — as it combines support for agriculture with funding for nutrition programs.
And Thompson made it clear when he ascended to the committee chairmanship after Republicans took control of the House in January that he was going to continue that tradition.
”I made that clear from the very beginning,” he said. “In the end, it’s always bipartisan and bicameral. We’ll have a better bill and better serve the American people by doing that.”
He dines with Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow, D-Minn., and has good relationships with the committee’s ranking Republican, John Boozman of Arkansas, as well as his own panel’s top Democrat, U.S. Rep. David Scott of Georgia.
2NC/1NR - Climate =/= Stops Bill
The bill will pass on time, regardless of a climate provision.
RFD TV 6/22 [the nation’s first 24-hour television network featuring programming focused on agribusiness, equine, and rural lifestyles, along with traditional country music and entertainment, “There is optimism for an on-time Farm Bill now that these hurdles are done, according to Rep Lucas”, 6/22/23, https://www.rfdtv.com/there-is-optimism-for-an-on-time-farm-bill-now-that-these-hurdles-are-done-according-to-rep-lucas, RFD TV]//rurallion
There is some growing optimism that this year’s Farm Bill will be passed on time. Former House Ag Chair, Frank Lucas says that Congress has overcome one of the most important hurdles to get it done this year. “One of the most important things we had to do was pass a piece of legislation dealing not only with the debt ceiling but setting spending levels for the next few years. The allocation process in the House and Senate is going on,” Rep Lucas states. “As we wait for those final numbers in the House, Chairman Thompson is now moving us in the direction of not just hearing here in DC, but also field hearings around the country laying the groundwork.” However, despite a push to get the bill passed on time, Lucas also emphasizes a one-year extension is better than a weak legislation. “If a one-year extension means that we have a better set of budget numbers a year from now if it helps facilitate a strong five-year Farm Bill, then yes, I will take an extension. After all, we got the ’14 Farm Bill two years after the previous bill was set to come to an end. We had to do the extensions, but it ultimately goes to the ’14 bill that became the base bill in ’18 that I believe will be the base bill then in 2023 to 2024, depending on what happens,” he adds. Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee is debating the ag budget before lawmakers take a 4th of July recess.
The biggest hurdle, the SNAP work requirements, has already been crossed- climate provisions won’t stop the bill.
Kellan Heavican 6/19 [has won several major awards through the Nebraska Broadcasters Association, Iowa Broadcast News Association and the Midwest Broadcast Journalist Association, “FARM BILL NEGOTIATIONS OVER FUNDING, NUTRITION AND CROP INSURANCE RAMP UP”, 6/19/23, https://brownfieldagnews.com/news/farm-bill-negotiations-over-funding-nutrition-and-crop-insurance-ramp-up/, Brownfield Ag News]//rurallion
Nebraska’s Congressional delegation met with state commodity groups and other stakeholders Monday for several farm bill listening sessions. Congressmen Don Bacon, a member of the House Ag Committee, says lawmakers likely removed the biggest hurdle by agreeing on work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program when the debt ceiling was increased. “That was going to be the biggest point of contention, and I think it’s already off the table. They already debated it for two months and they came up with a handshake deal.” Senator Pete Ricketts says he’s prioritizing keeping chocolate milk in schools after USDA proposed a ban on the product due to concerns about childhood obesity. “Sometimes these (young people) that’s the only solid meal that they’re getting all day. We want them to have a healthy meal that involves dairy that’s a part of having strong bones. This is a huge mistake.” Congressman Adrian Smith says the farm bill needs to include programs and funding that help increase productivity for producers. “We want the agility for producers to be able to innovate for the future, hopefully smooth things out economically for themselves and to also constantly be thinking about the future.” Congressman Mike Flood says he’s working to secure funding to add more researchers to a USDA precision ag research facility at the University of Nebraska’s Innovation Campus. “To find ways to grow corn with less water, apply the right amount of nitrogen, do what we can every step of the way to protect the environment and make sure our farmers and ranchers are profitable.”
Republicans are beginning to back drastic measures to solve climate change- a climate provision would be no different.
Stephen Groves 7/18 [A journalist for the Associated Press who received his degree from NYU, “House Republicans propose planting a trillion trees as they move away from climate change denial”, 7/18/23, https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/house-republicans-propose-planting-trillion-trees-move-climate-101384340, ABC News]//rurallion
As Speaker Kevin McCarthy visited a natural gas drilling site in northeast Ohio to promote House Republicans' plan to sharply increase domestic production of energy from fossil fuels last month, the signs of rising global temperatures could not be ignored. Smoke from Canadian wildfires hung in the air.
When the speaker was asked about climate change and forest fires, he was ready with a response: Plant a trillion trees.
The idea — simple yet massively ambitious — revealed recent Republican thinking on how to address climate change. The party is no longer denying that global warming exists, yet is searching for a response to sweltering summers, weather disasters and rising sea levels that doesn't involve abandoning their enthusiastic support for American-produced energy from burning oil, coal and gas.
“We need to manage our forests better so our environment can be stronger," McCarthy said, adding, “Let's replace Russian natural gas with American natural gas and let's not only have a cleaner world, let's have a safer world.”
The Biden administration has also boosted exports of liquefied natural gas to Europe after Russia, one of the continent's largest suppliers of energy, invaded Ukraine. The Democratic president has also said that coal, oil and gas will be part of America’s energy supply for years to come.
2NC/1NR - AT: Crypto Thumps
Crypto didn’t take too much attention away from the farm bill – but the plan would be much bigger than that.
Jerry Hagstrom 7/18 [the very founder of The Hagstrom Report, an agriculture newspaper, “House ag to focus on digital assets, then farm bill”, 7/18/23, https://www.thefencepost.com/news/house-ag-to-focus-on-digital-assets-then-farm-bill/, The Fence Post]//rurallion
The House Agriculture Committee will release the draft of a digital asset market structure bill this week and mark it up next week, along with the House Financial Services Committee, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., told reporters at a breakfast briefing today.
The bill is produced as part of the committee’s jurisdiction over the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The Financial Services Committee has jurisdiction over the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the two committees have been working closely together on the CFTC provisions of the bill.
Thompson was joined at the briefing by Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., chairman of the House Agriculture Commodity Markets, Digital Assets and Rural Development Subcommittee. Johnson said he has spoken every week for two months with Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., the House Financial Services Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion Subcommittee chairman, to develop the joint bill.
Thompson said a court ruling that Ripple Labs Inc. did not violate federal securities laws in selling its XRP tokens directly to sophisticated investors, showed the need for legislation to address the structure of digital assets markets. Johnson said some Democrats believe that the SEC has enough authority to regulate the digital assets market, but the Ripple ruling showed that is not the case.
The bill will make clear that the United States is the country where the digital asset marketplace should be located, Thompson said.
Thompson maintained that the need to produce a bill regulating the digital assets market has not slowed work on the farm bill, saying, “We can walk and chew gum at the same time.”
Thompson said he hopes to hold a markup on the farm bill in mid-September and will release a draft before the markup.
2NC/1NR - AT: NDAA thumps
NDAA doesn’t thump- no one’s pushing back.
Sam Sutton & Eleanor Mueller 7/20 [Sam Sutton is a Financial Services reporter for POLITICO Pro, covering fintech and digital currencies. He previously covered New Jersey health care policy, hospitals and the state's insurance market. Muelle is a graduate of the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill School of Journalism and Department of Government & Politics. Muelle is now a digital producer and copy editor at Politico. “GOP lawmaker says he’s not attempting to block NDAA,” 7/20/23, https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/20/marshall-ndaa-hold-up-00107391, Politico]//rurallion
Sen. Roger Marshall is pushing to open up the amendment process on the annual defense bill in a bid to advance a contested measure that would crack down on credit card swipe fees.
The Kansas Republican on Thursday told POLITICO that he was not trying to hold up any votes on the National Defense Authorization Act, though he expressed serious concern with the amendment process.
“I have no desire to derail the NDAA and have always supported our military,” Marshall said in a statement. “I want an open amendment process where we all have the opportunity to bring forth our priorities and make our case. “This is a basic right for members of this Chamber, and I am not alone in my frustration with this process.”
Earlier Thursday, four people familiar with the discussions told POLITICO that Marshall was threatening to throw up hurdles in a bid to attach an amendment to the NDAA that would force the major payment networks to compete on the swipe fees that merchants pay in exchange for accepting credit cards.
Marshall, along with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), reintroduced a bill targeting credit card payment networks last month — sparking a lobbying battle between Wall Street banks and retailers. Marshall and Durbin filed related amendments on the NDAA earlier this month.
“Folks living paycheck to paycheck and small businesses back home deserve relief. We have a bipartisan bill, now a potential amendment, which provides that and should be considered,” Marshall said. “In the face of spending nearly $900B on the military, perhaps we can give some much-needed relief to hard-working Americans and seniors on fixed incomes.”
2NC/1NR - Farm Bill key to solve food insecurity
Farm bill key to solve domestic food insecurity – food and nutrition programs, boosts local and ag economies
Amy Breitmann & Brittany Burnett, 7-21. Guest columnists, “Guest column: Uniting for food security: A plea to strengthen food programs through the farm bill.” July 21, 2023. https://www.postandcourier.com/aikenstandard/opinion/columns/guest-column-uniting-for-food-security-a-plea-to-strengthen-food-programs-through-the-farm/article_2d175688-263a-11ee-b7d9-3714a625085e.html
Both Golden Harvest and United Way have experienced pandemic-level requests for assistance in the last few months. The number of neighbors needing help is on the rise. Yet, government assistance has either lessened since the COVID-19 pandemic or been taken away completely – and the situation is only worsening.
At United Way of the CSRA, we serve the community by supporting dozens of programs at non-profits in our 12-county footprint, and these organizations serve as frontline resources to struggling neighbors who see the faces of these needs each day. Over the last few months, we’ve seen more calls and web inquiries from residents who need assistance with food, clothing, shelter, and other essential resources in our community.
During the first six months of this year, we’ve already received over 1,100 calls and website inquiries for food assistance to our 2-1-1 contact center, a critical community resource for residents in need. This is a 101% increase in inquiries we received over 2022, and there’s no sign of this trend declining.
When basic needs like food are met, our neighbors can concentrate on other critical components of a healthy life, including education, employment, housing, and healthcare. All of these are pieces needed to live a healthy life, but without satisfying food needs, the other areas of need take a backseat. And that’s not ok.
As we face a perfect storm of stubbornly high grocery prices, the end of emergency food benefits, and severely strained life-sustaining resources, we realize we cannot combat food insecurity in our communities alone.
We call on our elected officials to help pass strong legislation to alleviate the food resource shortages we’re seeing and to ensure food assistance continues to reach our neighbors facing hunger.
The good news is that Congress reauthorizes the farm bill every five years, the centerpiece of federal legislation 

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