Many South Florida lawmakers were upset U-S House leaders decided to campaign instead of working on a long term farm bill. The legislation is important to farmers in South Florida.
Florida's sugar cane industry is heavily propped up with federal subsidies. Fiscal hawks in the Senate tried but failed to end that federal support before passing a five year farm bill with bipartisan support. The bill is still lingering in the House though, which riles South Florida Democrat Alcee Hastings.
“The stability for the sugar industry, that I represent, in the farm bill there was clarity for five years and now we come back and we’re unsettled.” Hastings said.
There remain big differences between the House and Senate farm bills, mainly because House Republicans want to cut billions of dollars from food and nutrition programs. But House Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas says he's confident the two chambers can work out their differences if the House would just pass its bill.
“If the House will take action on the floor and give me a document to go to conference with I think we have the ability to achieve consensus is a relatively short period of time”, said Lucas.
House leaders still haven't said whether they plan to take up the bill in November, which has sugar farmers nervous.