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Grassley remains pessimistic about lame duck farm bill

There’s still hope the farm bill can be completed during the lame duck session of Congress.

But U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley tells Brownfield he’s not optimistic.

“I haven’t heard of any movement during the month of October, and that movement would be just among staff or the chairs of the two agriculture committees. I haven’t heard anything moving. We have two weeks before Thanksgiving (and) three weeks before Christmas (break).”

The Iowa Republican says the Defense Authorization bill and all 12 appropriation bills will be prioritized during the lame duck.

“Then there’s some rural health renewals that we have to do. In other words, they’re sunsetting. Then there’s some tax provisions that are sunsetting beyond the 2017 tax bill that have to pass.”

Grassley says he’s anticipating another one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill.