ADVOCACY REPORT
From Budgets to Tariff Relief: All Things Washington, D.C.
1. Legislative News from Capitol Hill Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a deal with the President and passed a budget deal to raise the debt limit and avoid a U.S. default on its debt payments. Now the Speaker must get the appropriations bills passed to fund the government before the money runs out at the end of September. If this is not done, there will have to be a short-term continuing resolution to fund the government. The House and Senate must pass the necessary appropriations bills: if the content differs between them, they will have to go into Conference to resolve differences. Needless to say, this will all take a lot of time. As the budget work grinds on, the Senate and House continue working to pass a new farm bill. However, since 1990, no Farm Bill has passed except in an election year. This Farm Bill may not be an exception. Of particular importance in the new Farm Bill is obtaining a doubling of the Market Access Program (MAP) funding from $200 million to $400 million. This will provide agricultural exporters increased assistance to advance agriculture exports worldwide. In addition, there is a serious effort to increase the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) limit to allow specialty crop producers to participate in these programs including almond farmers.
There are now multiple announced Presidential candidates for the 2024 election in both the Republican and Democratic parties. The primary dates vary by state, and all will occur next year. While the press is currently reporting on national polls, remember that these polls do not provide much real information as the voting is on a state-by-state basis. Polling by state provides more accurate information as to how each candidate is really doing. The Democrats are working hard to maintain their majority in the Senate, which may prove difficult. The Republicans are working just as hard to maintain their majority in the House. This also may be hard to do. The outcome of the presidential election as well as voter turnout will have an impact on both the House and Senate. 2. Environmental News in California Congress continues to consider legislation to help California with water storage and other water saving provisions. While the current water situation is improved, there is still a need for increased storage. The Supreme Court decision on the EPA rule on the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) will prove to be helpful. This overturned the bad EPA rule.
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ALMOND FACTS
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