Congress Returns from August Recess with End of Fiscal Year, Midterm Elections Looming
Both the House and Senate return on Monday from their five week August recess. With mid-term elections less than two months away, the outlook for substantive legislative action looks poor. Both Democrats and Republicans will be jockeying for an advantage in the election, especially with weeks will likely have much more to do with political point scoring than sound public policy.
Adding to the uncertainty are several of the so-called “August surprises” that have occurred over the past month. Events such as the civil unrest in Ferguson, Mo., Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the expanding air war against Islamic radicals in Iraq could have an impact on the political atmosphere and could require congressional action.
The one must-do priority will be to keep the federal government open past the end of the current fiscal year on September 30. With no FY 2015 appropriations bills having passed both chambers, a temporary continuing resolution (CR), presumably keeping current year funding levels, will be needed. Press reports suggest that a CR would likely run through early December, pushing the fight over appropriations over into the lame duck session.
The dynamics outlined above may also extend beyond Congress to the Obama Administration. This is particularly true on immigration; you may recall that earlier in the year, President Obama threatened to take executive action to ease some immigration enforcement if the House of Representatives did not pass legislation. An announcement on such an executive ordered had been expected in August; with other pressing developments both here at home and overseas, and cautionary notes sounded by several vulnerable Democrats, it now appears that President Obama could delay issuing such an order until after the election.
Save the Date for the NCFC Annual Meeting
Mark your calendars for NCFC’s 2015 Annual Meeting, which will be held February 11-13, 2015 at the Paradise Point Resort in San Diego, Calif. Join farmer cooperative leaders from across the country in discussing the issues that will impact you and your member-owners over the coming year. Topics will likely include a discussion of the impact that the big data revolution in agriculture will have on co-ops, a focus on sustainability and stewardship efforts across the industry and outlooks on both the economic and political outlooks here in the U.S. and across the globe. The program will also feature the Directors Education Conference, the Government Affairs Conference, and the Legal, Tax and Accounting Conference.
Registration for the Annual Meeting will be open at the end of September and additional program details will also be available at that time.
Upcoming Events:
- Fall NCFC Executive Council Meeting—September 25 & 26, 2014—NCFC offices, Washington, D.C.
- LTA Subcommittee Chairs/Vice Chairs Meeting—October 2 & 3, 2014—Four Seasons Hotel, Austin, Texas
- NCFC Human Resources Conference—October 23-24, 2014—Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Chicago, Ill.
- Government Affairs Committee Meeting—November 12-14, 2014—Benson Hotel, Portland, Ore.
- 86th NCFC Annual Meeting—February 11-13, 2015—Paradise Point Hotel, San Diego, Calif.