Speaker vote expected Tuesday

Presented by Environmental Defense Fund: Delivered every Monday by 10 a.m., Weekly Agriculture examines the latest news in agriculture and food politics and policy.

Oct 16, 2023 View in browser   By Garrett Downs Presented by Environmental Defense Fund QUICK FIX — House Republicans on Tuesday will vote on Rep. Jim Jordan ’s (R-Ohio) bid for speaker of the House. The lower chamber remains paralyzed as deadlines to pass a farm bill extension and fund the government creeps closer. — MA took tabs on campaign filings for 2024 candidates on the Agriculture Committee.  — The White House stepped up its focus on humanitarian aid in the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. HAPPY MONDAY, Oct. 16. I’m your host, Garrett Downs. Send tips to gdowns@politico.com, and follow us at @Morning_Ag.   A message from Environmental Defense Fund: The farm bill is a historic, bipartisan opportunity to support farmers and ranchers as they face more extreme temperatures and other unprecedented weather events. Climate-smart farming practices can help bolster productivity despite the changing climate by incentivizing agricultural emissions reductions and investing in conservation, adaptation, and innovation. Learn more about how climate-smart agriculture would help both the farmers and the environment thrive.   Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories. Driving the day Without a drastic change in Rep. Jim Jordan’s support, the House will be facing a failed speaker vote and the prospect of another week without a speaker — an unprecedented disruption. | AFP via Getty Images SPEAKER VOTE, HOUSE PARALYZED: Republicans plan to hold a vote for House speaker on Tuesday at noon, the first vote in the House since Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster roughly two weeks ago. Republicans nominated Jordan last week over challenger Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.), a House Ag member. Scott, a lesser-known member who was viewed as an opposition choice against Jordan, received 81 votes — far more than Jordan’s camp would have liked. On a second ballot to test how GOP members would vote on the floor, opposition dropped to 55, still many times more than enough to deny Jordan the gavel. Our Rachel Bade has more on the politics here. The dismal math matters for ag watchers because without a drastic change in Jordan’s support, the House will be facing a failed speaker vote and the prospect of another week without a speaker — an unprecedented disruption. That’s bad news for the farm bill and the Agriculture-FDA appropriations bill. First and foremost is the farm bill, which has already expired and some programs are beginning to unravel. House Ag Chair G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) has said that the “real drop deadline for the farm bill is December 31,” meaning a new farm bill or an extension will be necessary before then. It seems highly unlikely that a new farm bill will be able to get to the floor by then, so an extension will likely be up first. Despite Jordan consistently voting against farm bills in the past, Thompson said last week he was “fairly pleased” with what he’s heard from Jordan, who has tried to convince his party he will represent them all as speaker. However, House Ag member Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), said any speaker is going to have a hard time rallying Republican support for the farm bill. “They’re going to have a very tough time regardless, trying to find a way to get conservatives and moderates to support a farm bill that is very much needed,” she said. The one problem with an extension is that it would push the farm bill into 2024, amid election season. House Ag member Rep. Kat Cammack, said any speaker is going to have a hard time rallying Republican support for the farm bill. | Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images Without an extension or a farm bill, many ag programs will revert to so-called permanent law, written in the 1930s and ‘40s. Other permanent programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and crop insurance will continue on. The largest single hurdle for the farm bill is its competition for floor time with appropriations bills. While the House bounds forward without a speaker apparent, the short-term continuing resolution to keep the government funded will run out in just over a month. Both chambers still have a lot of work to do to pass all 12 appropriations bills, and another continuing resolution into early next year would trigger an automatic 1 percent cut across the board.   A message from Environmental Defense Fund:   2024 CAMPAIGN TRAIL Rep. Angie Craig's campaign raised a whopping $2.2 million this year. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo CHECKING IN ON CAMPAIGNS: MA looked at House Ag members' campaign accounts as the 2024 election is just over a year away. October filings were due on Sunday. Here’s what we found from candidates with updated filings for October:  Chair G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.): Thompson has hauled in more than $1.5 million since January and has about $820,000 on hand for his reelection campaign. He’s not expected to face a tough reelection campaign. Ranking member David Scott (D-Ga.): Scott, who has faced serious scrutiny in his party over his leadership on the Ag Committee, has raised about $505,000 this year. He has about $724,000 in cash on hand. Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.): Craig is a vulnerable Democrat in a swing district. She’s raised a whopping more than $2.2 million this year. She has more than $1.5 million in cash on hand. Her district is a must-win for Democrats hoping to retake the majority. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.): A Republican from a swing district, Bacon has raised nearly $1.9 million. He has just over $1 million on hand. Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.): Lucas’ campaign has raised over $582,000 for the reelection of the former Ag Committee chair, and he has more than $489,000 on hand. Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.): Scott has raised about $521,000 for his reelection campaign. He has about $964,000 in cash on hand. Israel Palestine MIDDLE EAST AID: The White House appointed former Ambassador David Satterfield as the U.S. special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement that Satterfield will help with “efforts to bring urgently needed humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza, in coordination with the U.N., Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and other regional stakeholders.” The appointment comes after Hamas launched an attack on Israel, and Israel has responded in part by cutting off food and water to Gaza. The U.S. is working with the United Nations, Israel, Jordan and Egypt on allowing humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, where food and water supplies are dwindling. Why it matters: Biden and the U.S. have a tightrope to walk in balancing support for Israel’s war effort against Hamas while also supplying humanitarian aid for the millions of civilians in Gaza. Biden on Saturday offered President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority full support in ongoing humanitarian efforts. Row Crops — A fertilizer shortage is spreading hunger, The New York Times writes. — Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson wrote an op-ed in the Des Moines Register saying big tariffs are bad for U.S. agriculture. —  Cap and trade is back on the table in Europe, our Federica Di Sario reports. THAT’S ALL FOR MA! Drop us a line: gdowns@politico.com, meredithlee@politico.com, marciabrown@politico.com, mmartinez@politico.com, abehsudi@politico.com and ecadei@politico.com.   A message from Environmental Defense Fund: More frequent extreme weather events, resulting in less reliable crop yields and disrupted supply chains are making it harder to be a farmer these days. Farmers are seeking new solutions to continue to produce our food, fuel and fiber. Congress has a historic opportunity to help farmers stabilize the climate and continue to thrive in the face of climate change. Investments in climate-smart agriculture must: 1. Incentivize farmers and ranchers to help stabilize the climate by reducing emissions of pollutants like methane, carbon, and nitrous oxide. 2. Invest in adaptation so farmers and ranchers can continue to feed the world and support rural communities in the face of a changing climate. 3. Innovate our way through the climate crisis by increasing research and development for agricultural climate solutions and improving measurement of conservation efforts. Learn more about how climate smart agriculture can deliver for farmers, ranchers and the planet.     Follow us on Twitter Emily Cadei @emilycadei Adam Beshudi @ABehsudi Meredith Lee @meredithllee Garrett Downs @_garrettdowns Marcia Brown @Marcia_Brown9   Follow us

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