March 2017<\/p>\n
A Bit of Perspective<\/strong><\/p>\n Three months into the new 115th<\/sup> Congress and the new Trump Administration, the political climate in Washington is uncertain to state the obvious.\u00a0 The failure of the Affordable Care Act \/Obamacare replacement legislation to pass the House of Representatives signaled a time-out for President Trump and the Republican majority in Congress.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t the Democrats who forced the healthcare bill\u2019s demise but the conservative Freedom Caucus of Republicans in the House.\u00a0 So, it\u2019s back to the drawing board for healthcare reform.\u00a0 How does this affect the other major legislative priorities on the Administration and congressional wish list?\u00a0 Will tax reform, infrastructure, trade and immigration see the political day and, if so, when?\u00a0 Congress will still have to revisit healthcare reform sooner or later even if it is just to patch up and revise the Affordable Care Act.\u00a0<\/p>\n The House appears ready to move next to tax reform.\u00a0 This makes good logical sense in reality.\u00a0 Rebuilding infrastructure, reforming immigration, and revising healthcare will cost lots of money.\u00a0 Where to get the necessary revenue seems basic to a logical decision-making process.\u00a0 Perhaps tax reform is where Congress should have started in the first place.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Federal Budget<\/strong><\/p>\n The loud noise Grangers heard around the country a couple weeks ago was not a sonic boom.\u00a0 It was the collective response to the President\u2019s proposed federal budget.\u00a0 Budget reduction proposals cut into most agencies of the federal government except defense.\u00a0 It\u2019s good to remember, however, that several past budget proposals from both President Bush and President Obama were figuratively stamped \u201cDead on Arrival\u201d when those budgets reached Capitol Hill.\u00a0 The president proposes federal budgets but Congress writes and passes federal budgets and sends adopted budgets to the White House to sign or veto.\u00a0\u00a0 Congress will go through the budget for each individual agency and ultimately decide where cuts will be made or funds restored.\u00a0 The budget is just one side of a larger debate. The other side is how to pay for budget expenditures and reduce the federal deficit at the same time.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Noting that agriculture has taken more than its share of budget cuts in recent years, National Grange president Betsy Huber issued a statement urging Congress to remember that net farm income is down about 50 percent over the last four years.\u00a0 Huber said, \u201cI am most proud that the Grange has always lobbied with perspective. \u00a0\u00a0We understand the need for deficit reduction and accountability in government spending of taxpayer dollars.\u00a0\u00a0 We have faith that Congress can work for the good of all people.\u00a0 We will continue to work with those in the administration and Congress to assure our food system\u2019s security and affordability\u201d. Tax Reform<\/strong><\/p>\n Tax reform is one of those issues everyone agrees needs to be done but can\u2019t agree what and how much to reform.\u00a0 Failure of the Affordable Care Act replacement bill to garner sufficient House votes to pass put a spotlight on the speed and procedures for tax reform.\u00a0 Many on the Hill pushed back against the speed with which the healthcare package came to the House floor.\u00a0 There was little opportunity to compromise on portions of the bill with growing opposition such as restricting state Medicaid expansion and new health taxes on the elderly.\u00a0 The Senate strategy was to take the House-passed bill directly to the Senate floor and bypass the committees of jurisdiction.\u00a0 Senators pushed back not only on the onerous parts of the bill but on the proposed Senate procedures as well.\u00a0 Look for cool heads and experienced hands to prevail as the tax reform agenda emerges between the Senate, House, Democrats, Republicans, and the White House.\u00a0 There won\u2019t always be agreement on what to reform or how to accomplish reform but the process may garner enough compromise to eventually get a tax reform package.\u00a0 Without tax reform, most of the additional big ticket items (infrastructure, healthcare, and immigration) may become just a wish list.<\/p>\n Congress last overhauled the tax code in 1986 with a bipartisan effort.\u00a0 Unfortunately, times have changed and cooperation across the political aisle this time around appears less likely. \u00a0The goal of broadening the tax base and closing loopholes is popular but difficult to accomplish and becomes a political minefield.\u00a0 The more tax breaks policymakers target to raise revenue to allow lower individual and corporate rates, the greater the number of interest groups that will fight to keep their loopholes out of tax reform.<\/p>\n Farm Bill<\/strong><\/p>\n Similar to tax and healthcare reform, farm bills are not easy to write or fast to adopt.\u00a0 In fact, the last farm bill failed on the House floor in 2013 before sufficient compromise finally mustered enough votes.\u00a0 This time around, Congress is starting the process early.\u00a0 House agriculture subcommittees have completed several hearings and more are scheduled to cover all titles in farm bill legislation.\u00a0 A key element of upcoming farm bill deliberations will be a strong and cohesive farm-food coalition committed to keeping agriculture and food assistance programs linked to together in one legislative package.\u00a0 If this alliance breaks apart, passage of a 2018 farm bill could be in jeopardy.\u00a0 The National Grange has strong policy supporting the food assistance-agriculture linkage to provide long term food security to all American citizens.<\/p>\n Non-traditional agriculture programs face reauthorization in a new farm bill.\u00a0 These programs include beginning farmer and rancher development, organic agriculture research, fruit and vegetable incentives for SNAP (food stamp) recipients, value added producer grants, rural micro-entrepreneur grants, farmers market and local food promotion, and organic certification cost share.<\/p>\n Where does the farm bill money go?\u00a0 According to the Congressional Budget Office, projected cost estimate allocations for the five year Agriculture Act of 2014 (2014-2018) are 80% food assistance\/nutrition, 8% crop insurance, 6% conservation, 5% commodities, and 1% all other.<\/p>\n Healthcare<\/strong><\/p>\n Limbo could describe much of the healthcare community after the failure to pass replacement legislation for the Affordable Care Act.\u00a0 But for now, the ACA remains in place as current law and will continue to function.\u00a0 Unfortunately, uncertainty has been created about how well ACA will meet patient needs going forward. \u00a0Will the individual coverage mandate be enforced?\u00a0 Will more states have just one ACA insurance carrier? Will rates go through the roof? \u00a0About the only counsel we can give on future comprehensive healthcare reform or revisions to the ACA is to stay tuned.\u00a0 Whatever the scenario, sooner or later Congress will have to tackle those provisions of the law that are not working well while trying to preserve those that are beneficial.<\/p>\n In the meantime, the National Grange will continue efforts to preserve Medicare Part D, restore Medicaid cuts to rural hospitals, monitor Medicaid expansion options to states under the ACA, and advocate for the expansion of telemedicine into rural areas.<\/p>\n Telecommunications<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0Rural broadband seems to be enjoying a renaissance of sorts in Washington.\u00a0 The Trump Administration has endorsed rural broadband expansion.\u00a0 The new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (Ajit Pai) has made mobile broadband for rural America one of his digital empowerment agenda corner posts.\u00a0 The National Rebuild Rural Coalition has made expanding broadband to connect rural communities one of its priorities for rebuilding infrastructure in rural America.\u00a0 The National Grange considers broadband deployment a major rural infrastructure challenge of the 21st<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n Infrastructure<\/strong><\/p>\n The National Grange is a member of the Rural Infrastructure Coalition that recently asked President Trump to include rebuilding rural infrastructure as part of his administration\u2019s comprehensive infrastructure renewal efforts.\u00a0 The coalition noted that past infrastructure initiatives often focused on urban and suburban infrastructure while not adequately addressing the unique needs of rural communities.\u00a0 Highways, bridges, locks and dams, railways, harbors and port facilities all need major investment if we are to get our agricultural products to market efficiently.\u00a0 In addition, the coalition also stressed critical needs in providing clean water for rural families, expanding broadband to connect rural families and communities to the outside world, and enhance the ability to supply affordable, reliable and secure power for the rural economy.<\/p>\n Immigration<\/strong><\/p>\n For agriculture, it\u2019s really all about workforce, not immigration.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Instability in the agricultural labor force has reached critical mass.\u00a0 Growing season is coming as farmers and ranchers face a new shortage of legally authorized and experienced workers.\u00a0 The cumbersome H-2A visa program is not adequate to serve as a safety net to meet agriculture\u2019s workforce demands.\u00a0 Legislation is needed to provide farmers and ranchers, across all of agriculture, access to a legal and stable workforce.\u00a0 The National Grange is part of the Agriculture Workforce Coalition in Washington that is asking President Trump to include necessary reforms to address the agriculture labor shortage in his immigration reform initiatives and pledging to work with the President to restore respect for and enforcement of our nation\u2019s laws.
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