Congress off to a slow start in 2022

by Mykel Wedig, associate director of government affairs

Control of both houses of Congress and the presidency belongs to Democrats right now. This year has shown that even with the majority, it doesn’t mean that their agenda will glide through unchecked. Already in 2022, we have seen their Build Back Better plan and voting rights bills blocked in the Senate because of some key party defections, resulting in a slow legislative start to the year.

While large parts of President Biden’s agenda are stalled, another battle looms: the annual appropriations bill. The government’s 2021 fiscal year ended on Sept. 31, and we have been in fiscal year 2022 ever since. But a new funding bill has not been passed for FY22. Congress has continued to kick the can down the road, passing continuing resolutions to keep the government funded. The latest continuing resolution runs out on Feb. 18, and it is shaping up to be another tough battle. Congress cannot agree on how much to spend or where to spend it. One thing is certain, though. Congress must act by Feb. 18 or risk a government shutdown.

All the aforementioned priorities have made it difficult to get any other legislation in front of our federal representatives. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which passed the House in March of 2021, has been largely stalled in the Senate for months. This bill remains extremely important to the agricultural community. Workforce shortages continue to be an extremely urgent issue in all sectors of the economy but are particularly acute in agriculture. Unfortunately, with midterm elections looming, the chances of any meaningful legislation passing for the remainder of the year are diminishing every day.

The Ocean Shipping Reform Act is another bill that we are watching closely. The bill is championed by Reps. Garamendi, D-Calif. and Dusty Johnson R-S.D. and passed the House of Representatives in December. The bill addresses the ongoing supply chain issues, specifically at the ports. The dairy industry was not spared from the shipping delays exacerbated by the pandemic, and this bill would require ocean carriers to adhere to minimum service standards that meet the public interest, reflecting best practices in the global shipping industry, among other things. The Senate is now looking to make some changes to the bill before introducing it. Because of the importance of exports and maintaining our export relationships to the U.S. dairy industry, Edge supports the efforts to pass the Ocean Shipping Reform Act.

While we continue fighting for ag workforce reform and supply chain relief, we are beginning to talk about the 2023 farm bill. Hearings and roundtables on the subject will start to take place in D.C. and around the country. Ag groups are beginning to formulate their priorities, and Edge is no exception. We will be talking to our farmers about what changes they’d like to see in the program, what they’d like to see stay the same and what new ideas they have for the dairy industry.

At USDA, the Biden administration has begun to disburse funds for the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program, a $350 million program designed to provide payments to dairy farmers who received a lower value due to market abnormalities caused by the pandemic and ensuing federal policies. These funds will be given to milk handlers based on several factors including how much of their milk was pooled in July-December 2020, and what marketing order they are in.

Although legislation is moving slowly, there are plenty of issues to weigh in on and help Congress understand the dairy perspective. As always, please reach out to our government affairs team with any questions or concerns you have so we can be the best advocates possible for our dairy farmer members.