Efforts to advance a five-year farm bill faltered in the House on Wednesday as the Republican leadership’s effort to smooth disagreements on ethanol policy appeared to have the opposite effect.
After barely passing a procedural measure to bring the farm bill to the floor, leaders scrapped votes on the legislation and on a related bill to lift seasonal restrictions on the sale of higher-ethanol fuel called E15.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters the House would instead push for votes on an expiring foreign intelligence surveillance law and budget legislation.
In the meantime, Johnson said, leaders would work to resolve differences on the farm bill and the E15 fuel proposal — which were supposed to be combined into one package after passage.
