Moran: Farm bill should advance once Senate reconvenes

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., told attendees at the Kansas Ag Summit, held Aug. 20 in Manhattan, that while not on time, the farm bill is essentially "completed this year."

The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry failed to advance the farm bill before going on recess until September, but Moran, a member of the committee, is optimistic it will soon advance once sessions reconvene.

Moran said that during the markup of the bill and other key points, committee members were absent, and during one key day, two Republicans were not present, causing that party to no longer be in the majority. He also mentioned a day when committee ranking member Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., was away because of primary election-related activities.

However, Moran said he felt that once those primary election distractions were behind them, progress would be made. He said he felt there was room in the bill that would allow the two parties to come together.

The biggest partisan stumbling block, he said, has not been actual farm policy but issues related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Previously, Democrats rejected provisions that would shift SNAP costs to state and local governments.

"We're trying to find compromise on that particular issue, and I think that's findable," Moran said.

Moran also spoke optimistically of the future of year-round sales of E-15, a gasoline blend containing 15% ethanol. Regulations prohibit summer E-15 sales, but the senator said there is "a lot of broad, bipartisan support" for allowing year-round sales.

Moran's appointment to the ag committee

Moran is a relative newcomer to the Senate ag committee, although he is not a newcomer to the Senate itself. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 but spent most of that time outside of the ag committee.

Previously, he explained, Kansas' then-senior senator, Pat Roberts, was already on the committee, and Senate rules would not allow Moran to also serve on it. When Roberts, who eventually became chairman of the committee, retired, he was succeeded by Roger Marshall, who also succeeded him as an ag committee member.

However, Moran took his seat on the committee — alongside Marshall — in 2025. The way he explained it, Moran essentially appointed himself to the committee.

"(Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.,) put me on the committee on committees, so I get the opportunity to help decide what committees individual senators serve on. And one thing I said was, 'Sir, Sen. Thune, I'm going to be on the ag committee,'" he said.

Moran said he was a long-standing member of the House Agriculture Committee, having served in that body from 1997 until his election to the Senate, and that it was especially important for him and for Kansas to be on the ag committee. With farm bill negotiations on the table, he said, it was an especially important time to be there.

Moran, who was not on the agenda of summit speakers but was invited to the microphone to give a short, impromptu speech during the lunch break, said he does occasionally have constituents come forward saying, "thank you for your efforts."

While he appreciates that feedback, when there are matters still up in the air such as the farm bill, he would rather hear something else.

"Someday, I'd like to be thanked for my results," Moran said.