Farm Bill's Fate in Boehner's Hands
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio administers the House oath to Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., during a mock swearing-in ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Despite bipartisan pleas from both Agriculture Committee leaders and lawmakers in both chambers, nothing is certain about whether the five-year Farm Bill will actually hit the House floor before the August recess.
Mere hours after the House Agriculture Committee approved its Farm Bill at 1 a.m., House Speaker John Boehner refused to guarantee it floor time, saying that some provisions concern him.
"There's some good reforms in this farm bill," Boehner answered Thursday when asked to address complaints from some conservatives that it does not go far enough.
However, he added: "There are other parts of the farm bill that I have concerns about." For instance, "you know we've got a Soviet-style dairy program in America today. And one of the proposals in the Farm Bill that actually make it worse.
"I'll reserve the rest of my comments on the Farm Bill until I get a closer look at it."
When pressed several times about whether the legislation now heads to the floor, or if it will hit the floor before the August recess, Boehner only repeatedly said that he has not decided.
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