GOP sends curt message to wary major groups: Get on board or get lost

Republican staffers on the House Agriculture Committee are warning industry groups to either rally behind the committee’s slashing of $300 billion in nutrition spending – or risk getting shut out entirely, according to a new report in Politico.

That was the message from the House committee’s policy director, Trevor White, who sent an email Tuesday urging agricultural lobbying groups to publicly support the GOP’s sweeping bill, or risk the possibility of receiving none of the $60 billion in farming investments tied to the legislation, Politico reported.

“With the current budget environment, once this train leaves the station, if these investments are NOT included, it is hard to see a path forward for the remaining pieces of the farm bill,” White said in the email obtained by the outlet.

The email also called on agriculture groups to contact lawmakers beyond the committee and report their lobbying efforts back to staff.

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“The survival of these investments beyond our committee should not be seen as a foregone conclusion,” White wrote. “If your organization would like to see these investments included as the process moves forward, the Chairman would greatly appreciate your help by making statements of support, but also direct outreach to members off the committee.”

The new pressure campaign comes as House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-PA) recently indicated “that hopes of securing a new farm bill this year are fading fast,” according to Politico. Congressional Democrats have already threatened to withhold support because of the proposed cuts to SNAP spending.

But, as Politico noted Wednesday, the increased fire on lawmakers outside of the agriculture committee “could be critical to helping those programs survive a full House vote, as some fiscal hawks typically vote against the major subsidies included in the farm bill.”