November 15, 2006: Agricultural Appropriations Bill—Not!

The plan for today was to convene at 14:15 and begin a period of morning business.

Thereafter, the Senate was set to consider H.R.5384, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2007.  This plan was announced yesterday on the floor by Majority Leader Bill Frist (TN), an appeasement to Sen Kent Conrad (ND).  Indeed, this is how the schedule appeared this morning on the Senate's website.

But that didn't happen.  What actually happened is that Sen. Maj. Leader Frist went gone back on his promise to have the Senate debate the farm spending bill today (and therein vote on Conrad's Farm Aid bill, which would help drought-stricken North Dakotan farmers among others).  But in a remarkable renege of his public pledge yesterday on the floor, Frist took consideration of the farm bill off of today's schedule.  In response, Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota took to the floor and announced their intention to block the Senate from moving on to any other business until the farm bill comes up for consideration.

As of 18:00, Conrad, has been on the floor all afternoon, sometimes allowing Dorgan to speak, or once allowing Senator Mike DeWine (outgoing, OH) to speak.  Conrad has stated just now that he might allow the Senate to adjourn for the evening but has renewed his pledge to object to any motion that would move the Senate on to any business other than the farm bill (or, in lieu of that, getting some agreement in which his amendment will be voted on).

I am not totally clear on how a Senator has the power to halt the entire Senate.  However, I saw Ron Wyden (OR) do it earlier this year.  From what I understand, it would take unanimous consent for the Senate to call up consideration of another bill—there is currently not a single bill pending before the Senate.  Conrad and Dorgan have basically said there will not be any unanimous consent because they will be on the floor and they will be objecting until their demands are met.  Normally, the price of objecting would discourage a Senator from taking such action, or normally there is not anyone on the floor and Majority leader Frist can make his unanimous consent requests unobstructed and go about setting the schedule.  Not today.

At 18:12, Conrad announces that he's gotten assurances from the majority that they will make all efforts to get the farm spending bill tomorrow and vote on his amendment.  Of course, that's what they said yesterday, too, noted Conrad.  However, the evening is growing older and I don't wish to keep the Senate in session any longer than it needs to be, and I won't stand in the way of adjournment.  It's anybody's guess as to what will happen tomorrow.  I'll say this.  The Senate did nothing today.  Never did a bill come up.  This was Conrad's complaint: we aren't doing anything, why not just bring up the farm bill?

This is not to say that there aren't other bills the Senate could take up.  For one, there is the U.S.-India nuclear pact.  That could come up tomorrow.  Who knows.  At one point today, Conrad made a unanimous consent request asking that the Senate call up consideration of the farm bill and Senator Jim DeMint (SC), sitting as the presiding officer, rejected in his capacity as a senator (and on behalf of the majority leadership).  Then Conrad made a UC under which the farm bill would come up immediately after the U.S.-India nuclear pact debate.  DeMint also objected to this.

Sen. DeWine spoke around five o'clock.  He talked about Iraq and discussed the death of an Ohio serviceman in Iraq.  His tone was sincere, one of lament, issuing an elegy not just for the serviceman but perhaps also for himself, for his time in the senate at least.

The best rhetorical feat of the day might have come from Sen. Dorgan, who suggested that he and those proponents of the Conrad/Dorgan amendment should name the drought.  He said, how is it fair that farmers affected by Katrina get federal aid but those farmers in the plains hit by drought don't get help?  They are making a fairness argument.

Conrad says that 5-10% of North Dakota's 35,000 farmers will go bust if there is no federal aid.  He is calling for the government to step in, saying that the government has issued such help in each of the last 20 years.

He just wants a vote, he says, even if it is a defeating vote.