BIODIESEL, DISASTER ASSISTANCE INCLUDED, THEN REMOVED, FROM JOBS BILL
News Date February 16, 2010
Last week, Senate Democrats and Republicans joyously announced a bipartisan agreement on a new “jobs” bill, also known as the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act. To the delight of many in agriculture, this draft text, which was introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, included a one-year, retroactive extension of the biodiesel tax credit and $1.5 billion in disaster assistance for farmers affected by ’09 crop losses due to weather-related incidents. Senators from both sides of the aisle immediately voiced their support for the bill. Even Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., one of the Republican’s most-outspoken fiscal hawks, was optimistic the draft legislation would have the votes to quickly pass the often-inert body.
However, later that same day, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., introduced a pared down version of his own “jobs” bill, which unfortunately removed those key provisions for agriculture and lost many of the critical pieces supported by numerous Senators.
Sen. Grassley, R- Iowa, showed his frustrations with the efforts of the Senate Majority Leader, “the Majority Leader pulled the rug out from work to build broad-based support for tax relief and other efforts to help the private sector recover from the economic crisis.” Meanwhile, Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and is currently amidst a difficult reelection battle, also illustrated her displeasure with the outcome, “I hope the Majority Leader will reconsider. This bill was carefully crafted to achieve significant bipartisan support and contains several important measures to spur business growth and encourage new hires.” (Contact: David Hickey)