House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas said Thursday that he had been assured by Speaker John Boehner that the farm bill remains part of the year-end “big picture” for Republicans and the promise of $35 billion in 10-year savings “has gotten somebody’s attention.”
The Oklahoma Republican underscored that the fate of his bill –first reported from his committee in July—remains unclear still even to him. But he said he had talked with Boehner directly on the question Tuesday after the House returned from the November elections.
“He assured me that was on their agenda and gave me the impression that it was one of the issues that will be addressed in the big picture sense…I assume he means sequestration and taxes,” Lucas told POLITICO. “When the speaker answered my question, the way he acted, led me to believe—I’ll put it that way—that they are focused on the big picture and this is one of those elements. No more specifics than that.”
