WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, released the following statement on the disarray over the agriculture portion of the Democrats’ reckless tax and spend reconciliation bill in the House of Representatives:
“The House Agriculture Committee’s disastrous mark-up was a snapshot of all that is wrong with this partisan process.
First, House Democrats hastily slapped together a bill that left $28 billion in conservation funding unaccounted for – and thus without debate or potential amendments. I am not sure how you can do that.
Then after nine painful hours last Friday … nothing. The committee simply recessed until this morning—three days later—when enough Democrats were available to pass their unfinished bill.
Despite struggling to figure out how to spend all this money, Democrats continue to insist it is necessary, while refusing to consider the voices of the agriculture community who have been left out from the start. All the while Democrats have failed to assure farm and ranch families that they won’t foot the bill for their reckless tax and spend agenda.
This process has been a mess from the beginning, but one thing has been clear throughout: Democrats have chosen to ignore the committee’s bipartisan history in order to prioritize the president’s agenda over the future of America’s multi-generational farm and ranch families.”