House and Senate Republicans are weighing whether to add Biden-era agriculture conservation programs to the GOP’s budget plans, according to three people familiar with the talks.
One of the people, all of whom were granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said it’s “likely” that Agriculture Committee Republicans will pull Inflation Reduction Act conservation program dollars into their reconciliation policy package by adding the funding into the farm bill baseline.
The maneuver would mean that the money is reinvested in the farm bill over time and ultimately give lawmakers more funds to work with. But Republicans will likely push to remove climate-related guardrails on the IRA programs, a signature Biden administration initiative, as they have during previous negotiations.
The talks are yet another indication that lawmakers doubt their ability to pass a new, bipartisan farm bill this year. Republicans are also considering including two key farm bill provisions — increased reference prices and updated crop insurance for farmers — in their reconciliation text, the same person said.
