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Next step on House farm bill is unclear

The next step for the House farm bill remains unclear after the unexpected defeat of the legislation on the floor on Friday.

House leaders have not said when they will try to bring it up again. According to a Politico report, it’s possible the bill could be reconsidered on the floor this week, but there are no indications leaders have rounded up the necessary votes for passage.

Iowa Congressman Steve King, a member of the House Ag Committee, says while the defeat surprised him, he doesn’t think changes to the bill are necessary.

“I really don’t expect much for changes in the bill,” King says. “We’ll pass a farm bill. It will come off the floor sometime in the next 30 days, and it won’t be much different than the one that failed yesterday (Friday).”

Politico says the bulk of the Freedom Caucus is still demanding a vote on a conservative immigration bill before the farm bill, which is not likely to happen before June.

AUDIO: Steve King (audio provided by Dennis Morrice, KLEM, Le Mars, Iowa)