NSAC UPDATE: Urgent Farm Bill Actions for Today

[Christina Kostelecky~ PASA]

This message is being re-posted on behalf of NSAC- National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

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Good morning everyone - big day coming.

The farm bill is here. This is our last chance to stop it (and maybe make some tiny improvements at the margins). From all of us here at NSAC - we cannot emphasize enough that while there are some wins in this bill (and we can celebrate those), its overall contents will be disastrous for our movement and for the broader food and farm system, and that if it passes every single fight to come (conference, etc) is going to be much, much harder. We need all of you now.

FIRST, THE BASICS

Rules Committee decided on the final slate of amendments late last night. See below for info there. This means debate on them will begin sometime later this morning / midday - right now it's looking like noon. 

Once the floor session begins, you can watch it live here: http://houselive.gov/

We expect debate to go throughout the day today and to potentially start up again tomorrow morning; the final vote is scheduled for 10 AM but that could slip given the number of amendments to be heard. 

AMENDMENTS - WHAT IS IN, WHAT IS OUT

Everything listed on this page and labeled "Made in Order" will be considered on the floor: https://rules.house.gov/bill/115/hr-2 (full text of each amdt is linked there too)

Everything else will not be considered.

In short: it is a nearly-complete strikeout on all efforts to achieve subsidy / crop insurance reform through floor amendments; there are 3 amendments NSAC is in active support of and 1 that NSAC is in active opposition of. They are: 

• SUPPORT - #42 in the rule by Representative Faso – Supports Measurement and Reporting of Conservation Outcomes
• SUPPORT - #48 in the rule by Representatives Costello and Emmer – Authorizes Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coordinators
• SUPPORT - #71 in the rule by Representatives Brat, Blumenauer, and Titus – Increases Transparency of Checkoff Programs
• OPPOSE - #50 in the rule by Representative Russell – Undermines Investments in Value Added Agriculture

ATTACHED: our support/oppose letter headed to the Hill shortly. It contains the same text as above. Also have ATTACHED the full list of amendments, including summaries of what each one does. 

Amendments #42 and #48 have a good chance of passing, but are by no means a sure thing. Amendment #71 is far less likely to pass. And we need to make sure that amendment #50 goes down in flames.

WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW

OK, y'all. We need anything at all you can do TODAY. I have grassroots and grasstops actions for you below. This is not "fix the bill" time - this is, at the grassroots level, KILL THE BILL time.

GRASSROOTS - best grassroots ask is still VOTE NO on the overall bill. If you have already contacted an R office, contact them again! Especially moderates or those with an interest in beginning farmers or local food! If you haven't yet done an alert / social media / any types of asks, today is the day! 

GRASSTOPS - If you can reach any of the following Congressional offices, they are fence-sitting Rs who may be persuaded to vote NO. Calls or emails into any of these offices TODAY from you can help (if you work statewide in any of these states it is fair game to call today):

IA: Blum
IL: Roskam
KS: Yoder
FL: Curbelo
ME: Poliquin
MI: Upton
MN: Jason Lewis
NE: Fortenberry, Bacon
NY: Donovan, Zeldin
NJ: Lance
OR: Walden
OH: Joyce, Johnson, Turner, Chabot
PA: Fitzpatrick
VA:  Comstock
WA:  Herrera Beutler, Newhouse

In addition: we need to make a full-court press on every House member we can reach today. Please call (or email) every office you can reasonably reach today. It is now or never. 

• Democratic office message: Stay strong on voting no for the bill; please vote with us on 4 key amendments.
• Republican office message: Please vote NO on the bad VAPG amendment and vote NO overall on the bill.

To help you do this, please find attached:

• List of every House office DC phone line (Ds are italicized, Rs are not - apologies for the sheet formatting; there is a technical issue with our congressional directory service that is out of our control).
• Sample call script for D and R offices you can use and modify. 

STEPS FOR ACTION

• Review the list of House members in your state
• For those you have a relationship with: call or email directly; share message
• For those you do not have a relationship with: start with off-committee Republicans, share message, focus on calling (not emailing)
• Our action window is ASAP - as soon as possible - today!
  

Thanks everyone for all of your work. You rock!