Tag: farm bill

Analysis: The Unfinished Work Congress Is Leaving Behind as It Breaks for Thanksgiving

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Congress

Both houses of Congress have adjourned for two weeks until after Thanksgiving even as major legislative work that must be completed before the year ends remains unfinished.

The Senate and House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown scheduled for Nov. 17 on Wednesday and Tuesday, respectively, the second such resolution since Sept. 30 amid efforts to pass appropriations bills for the upcoming fiscal year. Afterward, both houses adjourned until Nov. 27 and 28, even though they have not considered the following major legislative items, such as the Farm Bill and National Defense Authorization Act, which need to be passed before the end of the year.

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Del. Dawn Adams: Budget Legalizes Marijuana Retail ‘Straight Up’

Eric Burk

Delegate Dawn Adams (D-Richmond) was among a bipartisan group of seven delegates who voted against the budget on Wednesday. Adams criticized the Youngkin administration’s policies for state employees, but focused on language in the budget proposal that fails to adequately regulate THC in retail marijuana.

“We are now legalizing retail marijuana straight up. That’s what we’re doing. It’s just we’re going to call it hemp. And you can call it hemp, but it’s marijuana, and specifically until you have regulations, that does of marijuana that is now legal in retail stores can be anything as long as they put it on the package,” Adams, a nurse practitioner, said in a speech to the House of Delegates.

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U.S. Rep. DesJarlais Votes For Farm Bill That Improves Food Stamp Program, Rural Broadband, Education

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U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04), a member of the House Agriculture Committee, said in a press release Wednesday he voted for the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. The House-Senate agreement sets national agriculture policy for the next five years, and President Donald Trump will likely sign it, DesJarlais said. DesJarlais, a House Freedom Caucus member, was an outspoken proponent of changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, which would help more Americans gain job training and employment in an economy where an estimated 6 million job openings outnumber the unemployed. AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer Nancy LeaMond signaled her appreciation of the act’s passage. She said, “AARP applauds Congress for passing the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. This legislation protects access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). We are particularly pleased that the bill rejected harmful changes to the law’s work requirements that would have made it harder for older Americans to access SNAP benefits.” DesJarlais said, “Especially in Tennessee’s Fourth District, where Rutherford County is one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., the economy requires skilled workers to fill good-paying jobs. But able-bodied, working-age adults receiving food…

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