The House version of the 2018 farm bill remains on track for a March unveiling, according to House Agriculture Committee Chair Mike Conaway.
The Republican told Politico the committee is waiting for an official 10-year cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office to ensure “we can afford the proposal.”
The committee started working on the House version of the bill last fall. Lawmakers are trying to come up with a bill that won’t increase the federal deficit.
The current 2014 farm bill is projected to cost about $875 billion over a decade, but the Congressional Budget Office is expected to update that estimate this month. The Senate is further behind the House in its work to craft a farm bill, and some in the chamber fear a farm bill will not be finished or passable this year.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.