CALF_News_April_May_2021

30 CALF News • April | May 2021 • www.calfnews.net affairs. “That’s not a promise they will do all we want them to do. But they are making it clear there is a seat for us at the table.” Lane discussed efforts to work with the new Congress. He and Woodall noted the voice of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who is conservative on many issues. With the Senate split at 50-50, Manchin’s vote could invalidate a tie- breaking vote by liberal Vice President Kamala Harris. beef industry “has seen as many losses from the [far right] Freedom Caucus as we have from the liberal wing.” Woodall said the Beef PAC has a 95 percent success rate in getting candidates it supports elected. That’s higher than most political action committees. “We have to work with both sides of the aisle and have fostered relationships on both sides,” he said. “We know AOC and Booker will come at us. He has HSUS talking points and funding to hit us. But we don’t think they will have their party’s full support. There’s relief that AOC will not go unchecked.” Lane added that worries about vegans taking over are far-fetched. “The percentage of vegans in the U.S. has remained just 3 percent for 30 years and likely won’t change,” he said. Biden’s American Rescue Act The NCBA staff addressed govern- ment relief from hardships caused by COVID-19, noting that then former Sec. of Agriculture Sonny Perdue acknowledged, “if not for NCBA, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) would not have happened for beef and all of agriculture.” President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act was signed into lawMarch 11. It was highly partisan. Not one Republi- can voted for it, claiming it was a mega pork barrel for Democratic-led cities that were hurting long before the pandemic. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, agriculture’s share of the Rescue Act is an estimated $10.4 bil- A BEEF WITH BILL Continued from page 29 lion for programs designed to strengthen the agricultural and food supply chain ( see chart below ). It provided needed debt relief for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and to increase access to rural health. More NCBA Victories Woodall and his staff highlighted other NCBA victories to help producers and feeders. They included:  RAMP UP Act, to provide financial assistance for expansion of packer capacity. This could lead to more regionally and possibly producer- owned facilities to better manage price transparency.  Helped get rid of controversial Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) and replace it with the Navigable Waters Protection Act, which contains more reasonable actions to protect U.S. water sources.  Grey wolf delisting as an endangered species. Woodall noted it would be difficult for Biden to change the delisting of the Grey Wolf, Navigable Waters Act, and other deregulation programs through executive orders. “The rule-making process takes time,” he said.  NCBA convinced EPA to drop regularly scheduled inspections on semitrucks. NCBA is looking for a permanent fix to hours of service issue. Beck said NCBA has constantly lobbied to kill the infamous Death Tax, which can ruin a family ranch or farm due to extraordinary federal tax obliga- Ethan Lane, NCBA vice president of government affairs, sees “robust dialog” with the Biden administration. David Scott (D-Ga.) is the new House Ag Committee chairman. Lane said Scott told NCBA, “I want to take care of my cattlemen.” Lane said there remain “blue dog” Democrats in Con- gress who are more conservative. On the Senate side, Lane said NCBA has managed to work through dif- ferences with Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Senate Ag Committee chairman. A new obstacle may be Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), highly liberal, outspoken vegan and supporter of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which wants to eliminate animal agriculture. “We’re not sure if he will engage in ag committee [business],” Lane said. “It’s likely that the Senate Ag Committee is more interested in the welfare of produc- ers in their state than they are of Cory Booker. “[Congressional] agriculture is bipar- tisan,” Lane pointed out, adding that the Agriculture's share of President Biden's American Rescue Act. Courtesy American Farm Bureau Federation