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Senate Ag Committee’s budget proposal gets a Byrd bath

A budget proposal from the U.S. Senate Ag Committee that funds some farm bill programs is going through the next step in reconciliation this week.

Robbie Minnich with the National Cotton Council explains the Byrd bath process.

“The Senate parlimentarian goes through and looks at it provision by provision to make sure it doesn’t violate one of the six provisions of reconciliation.”

The Byrd Rule followed in the reconciliation process requires items to be removed from a budget bill if it meets one of six provisions: having no budgetary effect, not in line with committee instructions, are outside of the committee’s jurisdiction, have only an incidental budgetary effect, increases the deficit beyond the budget window or changes Social Security.

If there is a violation, Minnich says provisions could be altered or dropped out of the proposal. But Minnich says “I think within title one and crop insurance, I think they should be within the provisions and there shouldn’t be a problem there.”

Minnich says cotton growers like the reference price increase included in the plan.

“Producers are still dealing with high input costs and a safety net that’s ineffective currently. Raising that seed cotton reference price to 42 cents will certainly help give them a better safety net than they have today.”

And he says other updates like modernizing the marketing loan program and enhancing economic assistance for textile mills are also viewed as a positive.

He says once the Byrd bath is complete, the bill will be reviewed in the Senate Budget Committee and then, released to the Senate floor for a vote, expected next week.

“At the end of the day, it’s a numbers game. How do you get to 51 votes?”

Minnich says he’s optimistic the U.S. Senate can find the votes and pass the bill and it’s unclear how the two chambers will choose to move forward together for the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”

“You’re looking at one of two scenarios. One: the U.S. Senate produces something that can be acceptable to the U.S. House, maybe with persuasian from President Trump. Or two: if the bill isn’t acceptable to the U.S. House, the two chambers come together in a conference. That’s where they’d work out their differences to come up with something that can pass both chambers.”