Policy Updates and Issue News November 2020

As Washington gets back to work following the election, key issues to watch for in the lame duck period before the new Congress is sworn in in January include coronavirus stimulus debates, government funding deadlines, and jockeying for leadership positions in the next Congress. As well, key picks for the Biden cabinet have been revealed in recent weeks.

COVID-19 Stimulus

COVID-19 stimulus has been negotiated and renegotiated on the Hill for the past few months, with little sign of a breakthrough as cases once again reach new heights across the United States. Nevertheless, this week two new efforts at relief have emerged. First, Senate Republicans released a narrow bill which allocates $500 billion primarily to businesses and schools and creates new temporary COVID-19 liability shields for corporations. Senate Republicans have touted this bill as a compromise and have the support of the White House. However, it is unlikely that such a bill will garner much Democratic support. A second $1 trillion effort presented by a bipartisan group of Senators has a higher likelihood of passing, although its fate remains uncertain at this time.

Budget Negotiations

Congress faces a deadline of December 11^th to fund the government for another year. While funding deadlines have been the site of fraught political fights for the past few years, including government shutdowns, this year despite major differences on key policy areas, lawmakers are optimistic that they will be able to pass a funding bill by deadline.

Leadership Fights

Congressional leaders of both parties have been selected in recent weeks, with almost all key players reelected, including the leadership of both parties in the House and Senate. However, at the committee level jockeying for leadership positions continues on key committees. Both the House and Senate Agriculture committees will see new leadership in the next Congress following electoral defeat of Rep. Collin Peterson and the retirement of Senator Pat Roberts. The current favorites for both positions are Rep. David Scott of Georgia and Senator John Boozman of Arkansas. As well, in the House Energy and Commerce committee, Rep. Michael Burgess and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers are both pushing for the coveted Ranking Member position. In many other key committees such as Senate Environment and Public Works and Senate Transportation committees, leadership will remain the same as in the current Congress.

Biden Cabinet Picks

In recent weeks, President-elect Joe Biden has announced key picks for diplomatic, national security, and economic positions. In his diplomatic selections, Biden’s most notable picks are Antony Blinken for Secretary of State, and the addition of John Kerry as a special Presidential Envoy for Climate Change. These picks, and others signal that Biden plans to return to an Obama-era foreign policy, but is likely to place an increased emphasis on climate change as a national security issue. In economic selections, the most significant picks Biden has made have been Janet Yellen for Treasury Secretary and Neera Tanden for Director of the Office of Management and Budget. While Yellen’s selection has signaled a middle-of-the-road economic strategy for the Biden administration and received support from both conservatives and progressives, Tanden is likely to face a tough confirmation battle due to her inflammatory twitter presence and feuds she has picked with conservatives and progressives alike over the years.

Agriculture Trumps Sports

For 20 years, Gallup has been tracking American’s views toward business and industry sectors. Farming and agriculture have generally scored among the top 5 most positive groups, but this year ag is number 1! Rounding out the top 5 industries are grocers, restaurants, computers and retailers. The health care, pharmaceutical and internet industries scored significant gains in positive views during 2020. The sports industry’s image deteriorated to near the bottom of the 25-industry list. Coming in dead last was the federal government.

Climate Change Action on the Horizon

Farmers and ranchers are expected to be big players in negotiations to reduce negative environmental impacts on the world’s climate. The agricultural community is looking for innovative ways that contribute real benefits through regenerative farming practices, carbon sequestration, methane gas reduction and applying sound management practices like nitrogen management, cover crops, no till planting and prescribed grazing. Whatever methods or programs are proposed will have to make sound economic sense to the producer. Will the benefits offered from carbon markets (nationwide cap and trade, carbon bank, etc.) be enough to entice participation? Are the metrics available to accurately measure the climate benefit from a practice and establish a price for that benefit? Will these climate mitigating programs hold up to scientific scrutiny? Whatever the approach to climate change in America, it will be crucial that the metrics use U.S. data not worldwide figures to benchmark current status and determine future goals.

Dairy Margin Coverage Deadline

Dairy producers are reminded to enroll in the Dairy Margin Coverage program by the December 11 deadline. The DMC offers reasonably priced protection to dairymen when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed cost falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer.

COVID-19 Vaccines on Fast Track

Health care history is being made at this moment. Three pharmaceutical companies have developed safe and effective vaccines to combat COVID-19 pandemic and presented them for FDA approval at warp speed previously considered impossible. Additional vaccines are in the development pipeline. Pfizer (with German collaborator BioNTech) and Moderna have vaccines at FDA awaiting expected approvals December 10 and December 17, respectively. AstraZeneca and Oxford University have completed successful tests on a third COVID vaccine. All three vaccines require two shots several weeks apart. All three vaccines require different forms of storage from super-cold to frozen to refrigerated.   One area of concern is that rural hospitals do not have freezer equipment sufficient to accommodate all forms of the vaccine. Additional laboratories around the world have been contracted to produce large volumes of approved vaccines in order to immunize as many people as possible in the shortest time frame. While vaccines cannot be delivered to doctors until approved by FDA, they are being pre-positioned at distribution sites to allow faster delivery once approval is granted. States and territories are expected to begin receiving shipments by mid-December. Vaccines are to be rolled out first to front-line health care workers, then to nursing home residents and first responders, and then to other vulnerable people (medically compromised, elderly, etc.). Access to vaccines for the general public is expected by April or May 2021.

But There’s Skepticism

Public polling shows a sizable number of people are not willing to trust a first-generation vaccine. Skeptics cite alleged politicization of the development process, the speed of development and safety concerns. The skepticism is significantly higher among Black and Latino respondents. Only 42% of Americans said “yes” when asked by Pew Research Center if they’d get a COVID-10 vaccine when it becomes available. However, an internal survey of members by the National Grange found that nearly 60% of Grangers would get COVID-19 vaccine as soon as available if proven safe and effective.

Consider All Immunization Options

National Grange president Betsy Huber submitted testimony to FDA’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices urging the advisory group to consider all options for COVID-19 immunization. Farmers, ranchers and rural residents work long hours and must travel long distances and make multiple trips to reach a provider who can administer the vaccine which may reduce their likelihood of receiving immunization. “We encourage FDA to investigate flexible delivery options so that all may be protected from COVID-19.   We believe that a COVID-19 oral vaccine option would significantly aid this effort”, she said.

COVID-19 Resources Available

The National Grange and over 50 patient, community, elder, veteran, care-giver and industry groups aim to assure the messages of sound science, regulatory rigor and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines are heard. The COVID-19 Education and Equity Project has prepared one-pager and infographic resource materials and will continue to develop new materials in the coming weeks. Contact the National Grange for more information.

Cover COVID Treatments for Medicaid Beneficiaries

The National Grange joined numerous patient groups calling on HHS Secretary Azar to ensure COVID treatments are available to Medicaid beneficiaries without delay and without prior authorization barriers. “All FDA-approved treatments for COVID, including those approved under an Emergency Use Authorization, must be covered for Medicaid beneficiaries without delay and without prior authorization requirements, “according to the group.

Grange Touts Chronic Pain Management

The Hill newsletter in Washington published an opinion editorial by National Grange president Betsy Huber calling attention to the fact that chronic pain has contributed so much to the tragic opioid crisis in Rural America. She noted that the National Grange will support national and state initiatives that encourage the research and development of new pain relief therapies, and host robust policy discussions about pain management among fellow Grange members and their rural communities to ensure our unique needs are being met.

The National Grange has long supported and been a member of the Organizations Concerned About Rural Education (OCRE). OCRE includes more than two dozen national education, farm, agriculture, telecom, energy, tribal and business organizations dedicated to the improvement of public education in rural communities and the fostering of economic development in rural America. OCRE has recommended several rural education priorities to President-elect Biden including stabilize education programs to function under the COVID-19 pandemic, create an Office of Rural Education Policy at the Department of Education, invest in rural school infrastructure, and federally finance initiatives to ensure all students have access to robust, reliable and affordable broadband services at school and home.

Democrats Commit to Broadband

President-elect Biden and Congressional Democrats are seeking a massive increase in federal broadband spending for next year to improve Internet access and affordability. Their proposals would extend the availability of broadband in hard-to-reach rural areas, assist families struggling to pay their Internet bills, and provide more funding to schools for computers and other equipment. The pandemic brought the consequences of the lack of connectivity into sharp focus as families were forced to turn to the web to do their jobs, complete classwork, order groceries and supplies, and keep in touch with loved ones.

Chairman Pai to Exit FCC

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has announced he will step down in January. President Obama appointed Pai as a FCC Commissioner in 2012 and President Trump appointed him to lead the agency as chairman in 2017.   Pai grew up in rural Kansas and has worked diligently toward connecting the “last mile” of rural landscape to the Internet. He always welcomed input from the National Grange and appointed president Betsy Huber to a FCC advisory committee and subcommittee. Pai was named as Champion of Rural America in 2018 by the National Grange. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel from Connecticut is widely viewed as the leading contender to become the chair.

Focus on Rural Telehealth

Congress should strengthen rural access to broadband for communities to utilize telehealth services according to National Grange president Betsy Huber in an opinion editorial featured in Washington‘s Agri-Pulse newsletter. “Our leaders in Washington deserve credit for their swift action to meet the COVID-19 public health challenge. However, there is still much work to do to connect rural communities to modern health solutions to address both immediate and long term needs,” she wrote.

Audit USDA’s Rural eConnectivity Pilot Program

Several Republican members of the House Commerce Committee have requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to audit the Reconnect pilot. They cite several concerns about the use of ReConnect funds to overbuild existing rural broadband networks, lack of interagency coordination and lack of transparency. Committee members are concerned that the program has not maintained its focus on rural communities without internet service.