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Omnibus spending bill in the works
House leadership unveiled a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill which would fund most of the federal government through next September.
The bill would fund the Department of Homeland Security through February as Republicans hope to counter the President’s recent executive order on immigration by that time.
The bill also:
The package is expected to be considered by the House Rules Committee today setting up a full House vote Thursday. The Senate is expected to move as well this week, getting the bill through before current funding runs out on Thursday night.
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National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson and United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) President Danni Beer are not happy with three provisions in the omnibus spending bill being considered by Congress.
In a letter to House and Senate leaders, Johnson and Beer object to:
…language included on Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) could be used as an opportunity to stop the appeals process at the World Trade Organization or re-open the legislation that mandated COOL, both of which are unacceptable
…a provision that orders the Secretary of Agriculture to refrain from implementing a reformed beef checkoff program
…a legislative provision that prohibits the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration (GIPSA) from implementing regulations on the livestock and poultry industry that would address an array of fraudulent, deceptive, anti-competitive and retaliatory practices.
The letter concludes: We strongly object to the use of the appropriations process as a mechanism to limit the secretary’s authority to uphold the COOL law, to respond to the dire need for reform of the beef checkoff, and to address anti-competitive market concerns.
Read the entire letter here:
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