NCBA: Moderates Will Decide The Future

Leadership of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association say moderates will control the power in Washington, D.C. over the next few years. In addition to Democrats controlling the House, Senate and the White House, they also control new leadership overseeing the Senate and House Agriculture Committees. However, NCBA Government Affairs Vice President Ethan Lane said he believes moderate voices will be in control.

“Despite what you see in the newspaper, despite what you hear on cable news or on your favorite blog, the real power is concentrated right now in Washington amongst the moderates. There is just no debate about that, they are going to control what happens over the next couple years here in Washington D.C.”

Lane added Democrats, such as those in the Blue Dog Coalition, have a stronger voice in Congress now.

“A few years ago, the comment was that the Blue Dogs are no longer with us, the blue dogs are dead. But, you'll remember back to the first couple days of this new Congress, the Democratic Caucus meeting in the house erupted in moderate Democrats saying you have got to provide us the ability to have some moderate conversations, to have a voice that doesn't support the Green New Deal and things like that because my district just won't tolerate them.”

Lane said that rings true for agriculture, which is a bipartisan industry with no place for “partisan warfare”

“We’re going to have to help them understand where they can be helpful to us and we're going to have to probably push them a little bit every once in a while to buck the party when the Democratic leadership is feeling like they need to placate their own wing of their party and then, quite frankly, we're going to push back on Republican leadership, when we see the Freedom Caucus doing the same thing on our side. I mean, I've seen as many losses dealt to the cattle industry on Capitol Hill at the hands of the Freedom Caucus, as I have Democrats. And that's not a new thing, the extremes of either party don't really help American agriculture, it's the middle where those issues come together and that's where we're going to have to focus in the next few years.”

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekmedia.com