Walz and Peterson on the farm bill, and more
"Compromise is not a dirty word," Rep. Tim Walz said recently at Farmfest in Redwood Falls, Minn. "It's the glue that holds the democracy together. I'm just baffled."
Reps. Walz and Collin Peterson expressed their frustration over Congress' inability to pass a farm bill during a joint appearance at Farmfest.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Peterson, the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, said that while negotiators will devise a compromise bill, he's not hopeful of its passage.
"What's going to be a compromise with the Senate will be opposed by a majority of House Republicans," he told the Farmfest crowd. "That's why I can't tell you what's going to happen."
Peterson, Walz and some farm group leaders on the forum panel said the bill is being held up by tea party-backed House Republicans.
"It's not a Republican issue. It's a small group that's decided that this is the route they want to take," said Walz, another Minnesota Democrat on the agriculture committee.
Peterson said he sees House Majority Leader Eric Cantor as the main roadblock, saying, "I don't get along with that guy and I don't know what to do about him."
Peterson and Walz join The Daily Circuit to discuss the farm bill, as well as immigration reform and other issues.
LEARN MORE ABOUT WALZ AND PETERSON:
• Searching for the Farm Bill
"Quoting Ronald Reagan, Walz continued, 'if they can't see that light, at least make them feel the heat,' and urged Farmfest attendees to put pressure on legislators to pass a Farm Bill to give the American people the certainty they deserve." (Twin Cities Daily Planet)
• Peterson predicts farm bill doom after GOP pitches food stamp plan
"'If I could see what they were trying to do and it made sense, then I could probably find a way to go along with it,' he said. 'But you're alienating people on both sides in this process and I don't see how you come up with the end product.'" (MinnPost)
• Republicans aim to unseat Minn.'s Collin Peterson
"Peterson is one of seven congressional Democrats the NRCC believes may be vulnerable in the 2014 election. The campaign organization is airing ads that paint Peterson as an out-of-touch politician who has been in Congress too long." (The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead)
• Another Republican steps up to challenge Rep. Walz
Tim Walz has two Republican challengers so far: Aaron Miller of Byron, Minn., and State Rep. Mike Benson of Rochester, Minn.
