Senate Fails to Move Forward on Farm Bill

The Senate was unable to invoke cloture on H.R. 2419, the 2007 Farm Bill. Cloture is the procedure by which the Senate votes to put time consideration on a bill thereby overcoming a filibuster or delay by amendments. The vote, 55-42, fell just five votes shy of the two thirds majority necessary for cloture. Although there is still a remote possibility for consideration next month, this failure will likely put the Farm Bill off until next year. The legislation was automatically extended for an additional year when it expired last month, but farmers, nutrition advocates and the U.S. Department of Agriculture were anxiously awaiting a final version of the bill from Congress.

By failing to invoke cloture, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will not be able to limit debate on the bill. The cloture motion would have allowed for an additional 30 hours of debate, allowing the leadership to manage which amendments were and were not brought to a vote, ensuring only amendments that are germane to the underlying bill come up for consideration. When the Senate does not pass a cloture motion on a bill, that legislation is pulled from the floor. This either kills the bill, or allows the majority to set it aside until they can secure the necessary votes. In this case, it likely means the bill will remain off the floor until sometime next year.

Sen. Reid has mentioned that there is still a very remote possibility that the bill could be brought back to the floor when Congress returns after Thanksgiving. However, the fact that Congress still needs to finish its appropriations work, means that the Farm Bill does not have a very good chance of passage this year. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, and the bill's chief sponsor, also hinted that partisan politics may hold the bill back until after the 2008 Presidential elections. Meanwhile, Congressional staffers will likely use the time to work out differences, both between Senators, as well as between the House and Senate versions, as they currently stand.
Resources:

Geof Koss, "Senate Rejects Cloture on Farm Bill," Congress Now, November 16, 2007.
Author: SAS