The House Agriculture Committee is often touted as a sanctum of bipartisanship. It was anything but as the first markup of the 117th Congress was held, examining a majority-drafted coronavirus aid bill.
One Republican sponsored amendment, also backed by Democrat Cindy Axne of Iowa, made it through committee. That addition, that would have extended WHIP+ disaster aid to 2020 events such as the Iowa derecho, was stripped out of the legislation in the rules committee.
House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Glenn Thompson joins the DC signal to Noise Podcast to discuss the partisanship on the committee, whether it can be healed, and the counter proposal being offered up by the committee’s Republicans.
He also discusses the return of earmarks, the Biden Administration’s immigration overhaul plan, agriculture’s role in combating climate change, broadband access and much more.
