Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, says the failure to pass a new Farm Bill strikes at the heart of Iowa’s economy, and the discussion needs to get back underway to pass the bill. Braley credits fellow Iowa Republican Congressman, Steve King of Kiron, with working to get something done on the bill. “I actually applaud Congressman King for coming into the Democratic cloakroom and trying to initiate a conversation on how we move the Farm Bill forward with the ranking member of the Ag Committee for the Democrats,” Braley says.
Braley called King’s action “extraordinary” compared to what has gone on with other members of congress. “We need more of that, not less of that,” Braley says.
He says there are plenty of members of congress in both parties who are willing to negotiate, and he called on Republican House Speaker John Boehner to bring members of the House and Senate together in a conference committee to work out a new Farm Bill.
Braley says there is a “significant development” in possibly ending the budget stalemate today as the President has called in leaders of both parties to a meeting. “To see if there is a way forward with the impasse that we are at,” Braley says.
Congressman Braley says he looks forward to sharing with the president the comments people in his district have made about the budget situation. “Which is, do your job, get the government back to work and don’t push the economy to the brink of disaster,” Braley says. Braley is the lone Democrat to announce a run for the U.S. Senate in 2014.