Minn. Sen. Amy Klobuchar named top Democrat on Senate farm committee

Christopher Vondracek, Star Tribune on Dec 18, 2024

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar will be the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee in the next Congress, after being named to the post by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday.

Klobuchar becomes ranking member on the powerful committee, which will oversee the next farm bill, a day after Rep. Angie Craig, a Minnesota Democratic counterpart, became ranking member for the House Agriculture Committee.

Klobuchar won her fourth term in the U.S. Senate this year. With the retirement of current Ag Committee chairwoman Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, Klobuchar had largely been expected to ascend to her party’s top spot on the committee.

“When I first came to the Senate, my number one request was to be on the Agriculture committee,” Klobuchar said, in a statement. “From working across the aisle to strengthen our defenses against animal disease outbreaks to bolstering our ability to produce home-grown fuel and supporting conservation efforts, the work of the Agriculture Committee touches every aspect of our lives.”

Republicans won the U.S. Senate in November’s elections, and Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas will chair the committee for the GOP. But the committee, as in the House, will operate within a closely divided chamber where the minority party will maintain limited but important leverage over the steering of farm policy, environmental programs and nutrition funding.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers were advancing a proposal to extend the current farm bill through March, with an additional $10 billion in aid for farmers and ranchers.

_____