MAJORITY WHIPLINE: THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022

Thursday, June 16, 2022

Floor Schedule and Procedure:

H.R. 7606 – Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act (Rep. Spanberger – Agriculture)

This bill addresses systemic risks in the supply chain of the food, fuel, and agriculture industries. This package includes provisions to lower the cost of food by addressing crop input prices, lower gas prices, strengthen the food supply chain, and ensure robust competition in the meat and poultry sector.

The bill facilitates greater competition in meat and poultry processing by strengthening enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act with the creation of a Special Investigator at USDA.  It helps specialty and row crop farmers deal with fertilizer prices that have more than doubled this crop year as they start to purchase inputs for the 2023 crop. 

The bill includes provisions to help deploy additional storage and dispensing equipment to ensure that higher ethanol blends, biodiesel, and other biofuels are more readily available across the country. The bill also builds on a recent Biden Administration action allowing voluntary year-round sale of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol, known as E-15 or Unleaded 88. The bill does not mandate the production, sale, or use of E-15/Unleaded 88.

The bill establishes an Agricultural and Food System Supply Chain Resilience and Crisis Response Task Force at USDA to identify and address the breakdowns and bottlenecks in the food and agriculture supply chain and provides assistance to create new and expand current livestock and meat processing capacity.

Click here for bill text.  

Click here for a one-pager from the Agriculture Committee. 

Click here for a summary from the Agriculture Committee.

The Rule provides for one hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Agriculture.

The Rule makes in order the following amendments: 

Khanna Amendment

Authorizes USDA to carry out a program that reduces dependence on foreign sources of fertilizers, supports reliable access to critical inputs for farmers, and encourages innovation and competition in the highly concentrated fertilizer industry, and would support investments in materials or tools for efficient use of fertilizer, sustainable fertilizer production, and incentives for greater precision in fertilizer use.

Spanberger/Gonzalez (OH) Amendment

Directs USDA to establish Supply Chain Regional Resource Centers to support small and medium-size agricultural producers and businesses with coordination, technical assistance, and grants related to producers' and businesses' supply chain challenges, and directs the existing Agriculture Innovation Centers Program to do research, offer technical assistance and support services, conduct outreach, and provide other services to strengthen and secure supply chains for US agricultural products.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"Contentment is the only real wealth."

 -Alfred Nobel