The clock is ticking for congressional leaders to pass a stopgap measure, avoiding a government shutdown, and one sector of Mississippi’s population is loudly urging lawmakers to go ahead and get legislation passed before Friday’s deadline.
Although a bipartisan measure was released Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump rejected the plan Wednesday and told House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate. As lawmakers work to get home for the holidays, a deal must be reached, or federal funding will run out and the government will shut down until a new funding bill is approved.
As part of the package that Trump rejected, farmers would have received $21 billion in disaster relief and $10 billion in economic assistance, along with a one-year extension of an agricultural funding bill called the F.A.R.M. Act. The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, a general farm organization that often serves as a liaison between the agriculture sector and Washington politicians, issued a press release calling for Congress to act during a “dire situation” for Mississippi farmers.
“Our state’s number one industry is in a dire situation,” Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President Mike McCormick said. “We are seeing a crisis in farm country for farmers of our major crops. Producers are facing this perfect storm of record-level production costs, low commodity markets, and an outdated farm safety net.
“The funding in this bill could mean the difference between planting a crop next year and giving up for many farms in the state. We appreciate our members of Congress who rolled up their sleeves to ensure farmers can continue to deliver the safest, most affordable, and abundant food supply in the world.”
While McCormick showed gratitude for the chunk of funding granted to farmers in the continuing resolution agreed on earlier in the week, he wants to see it remain in what lawmakers come up with between now and Friday night, assuming they pass a measure to avert a shutdown.
McCormick specifically hopes Mississippi’s delegation consisting of Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith along with Reps. Trent Kelly, Bennie Thompson, Michael Guest, and Mike Ezell will join forces to pass a continuing resolution that also includes agricultural aid.
“We urge our Mississippi congressional delegation to pass this legislation and then return in January ready to tackle the challenges facing agriculture,” he continued. “Another one-year extension of the farm bill addresses immediate needs, but only a new, modernized farm bill will bring certainty for America’s families, farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.”
Any bill reached would need to fund the government at current levels to prevent everything from the mail service halting to military members not being paid. However, as is often the case in Washington, heaps of add-ons are added to funding bills to please all with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar.
Some examples of add-ons included in Tuesday’s 1,500-page measure were transferring RFK Memorial Stadium from the federal government to Washington, D.C., providing money to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, and giving members of Congress a pay raise for cost-of-living increases. To that, Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson joined forces with the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation but asked for an end to the “frivolous spending measures” in whatever a new package might look like.
“It is extremely unfortunate that the Continuing Resolution that contains a Farm Bill extension and farm relief that also contained a host of frivolous spending measures,” Gipson wrote on X. “There is still time for Congress to pass a clean bill with farm relief. Put politics aside for our farmers.”