Congressman Bruce Braley (D. IA-01) puts the smack down on House Speaker John Boehner (R. OH) for the House's failure to pass the Senate's version of the farm bill before the August 5th recess:
http://whotv.com/...
The Senate has passed a more comprehensive bill including a nutrition program.
Braley is urging Speaker Boehner to bring up the Senate bill on the House floor.
“Passing a long-term farm bill is a necessity for rural America. Farmers and agricultural producers have waited too long for the certainty that a five-year farm bill provides,” Rep. Braley said. “Without a Farm Bill to provide predictability, it’s harder for farmers to invest in the future – to create jobs and grow the economy.” - WHO 13 Des Moines, 7/30/13
More below the fold.
Braley's been making the farm bill a top issue in his campaign:
http://www.heartlandconnection.com/...
“People want predictability,” (D)-U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley said. “They want a five year farm bill. They want a solution to our immigration problems. They want us to do something about creating a stable economy so they can plan for their businesses. I have proven experience working in all those areas, solving tough problems and that's what I would do as Iowa's next senator.” - KTVO, 7/29/13
Braley's also had some harsh words regarding the House GOP's version of the farm bill:
http://www.radioiowa.com/...
It’s now been two weeks since the Republican led U.S. House approved a trimmed-down version of the Farm Bill, leaving out “food stamps” and other federal nutrition programs. Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, calls it a “fake” Farm Bill and isn’t sure when the whole issue might be resolved.
“I haven’t heard a single peep out of the Republican leadership since the fake Farm Bill passed on the House floor several weeks ago,” Braley says. “There was a commitment to bring the nutrition title back to the floor, but we’ve heard nothing about that.” - Radio Iowa, 7/25/13
Can't blame Braley for speaking out about this. I thank him for doing so and I agree that Bohener and the House GOP shouldn't go on recess without settling this but I doubt that will happen. However, if you want to put the pressure on your congressman to pass the Senate's version of the farm bill, you can contact your representative here:
http://house.gov/...
I like Braley, I think he'll do a good job carrying on Senator Tom Harkin's (D. IA) legacy in the Senate. I'm also happy to see one of my preferred potential Presidential candidates help support Braley's campaign:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/...
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's federal PAC, which will become an important fundraising vehicle should he decide to run for president in 2016, is beginning to show signs of life.
In a report filed with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday that covers the first half of 2013, the O' Say Can You See PAC reported raising $164,000, spending just over $143,000 and making a small number of political donations in the early presidential primary states of New Hampshire and Iowa for the first time.
Aides said O'Malley has also reported raising an additional $315,497 in so-called non-federal money. Those receipts were filed with the Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday but the report is not yet publicly available. That money can be spent on legislative and gubernatorial campaigns around the country -- but not on federal candidates.
That puts the total haul for the PAC at nearly $480,000.
The vast majority of O'Malley's money reported to the FEC is still coming from Maryland, an indication he has not yet established a national fundraising operation -- and that's not a surprise given how uncertain the 2016 Democratic field remains. Details of the IRS-reported contributions are not yet available.
On the other side of the ledger, the PAC reported making a $2,500 contribution to Rep. Bruce Braley, the Iowa Democrat who announced this year he is running for Senate in 2014. The PAC also made a $2,500 contribution to former New Hampshire governor and now Senator Jeanne Shaheen as well as Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, who won a special election this year to replace Secretary of State John Kerry. - The Baltimore Sun, 7/31/13
If you would like to donate or get involved with Braley's campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.brucebraley.com/