How Do Changes in Washington Impact Cotton?
May 10, 2021 In a recent episode of Cotton Grower® magazine’s Cotton Companion podcast, Reece Langley, Vice President of Washington Operations for the National Cotton Council, provided insight on some of the changes in Washington under the Biden administration – and what they could mean for cotton.
With the changes at USDA, EPA and the U.S. Trade Representative Office, are there any anticipated shifts in priorities?
“We were pleased to see Secretary Vilsack return. We have a long track record of working with him, and he was very instrumental near the end of his first term at USDA in developing some ways to administratively help provide some short term relief for the U.S. cotton industry when it was badly needed. We’re excited to work with him and the team he puts together.
“Michael Regan, the new head of EPA from North Carolina, is someone we’ve not worked with before at the national level, but we’ve heard positive feedback from the ag industry that worked with him at the state level. His office has already reached out to various agricultural stakeholders, and we look forward to building those relationships.
“Katherine Tai was confirmed as U.S. Trade Representative. She had been at USTR previously, focused on China trade enforcement issues. Most recently, she was with the House Ways and Means Committee and was very instrumental in negotiating the U.S./Mexico/Canada agreement. She is well equipped to deal with trade policy issues. We think her history of dealing with trade issues with China will serve her well.”
With the changes in the House and Senate Ag Committees, does cotton still have friends?
“We do. On the Senate Ag Committee, the new ranking Republican member is Sen. Boozman from Arkansas – a great friend and champion for the U.S. cotton industry. On the Democratic side, two new senators – Sen. Warnock from Georgia and Sen. Luhan from New Mexico – are on the committee. That’s significant, because it’s been a while since we’ve had Cotton Belt senators on the Democratic side of the committee, and we think they’ll be good allies for us. In addition to Sen. Boozman, we have three other Cotton Belt senators on the Republican side – Sen. Hyde-Smith from Mississippi, Sen. Tuberville from Alabama and Sen. Marshall from Kansas.
“On the House Ag Committee, Rep. David Scott of Georgia is the new chairman. We have worked closely with him during his entire time in Congress. Rep. Glenn Thompson from Pennsylvania is the new ranking Republican – someone we’ve had the opportunity to work with and who has taken time to learn about the cotton industry. There are nine Democrats and 11 Republicans on the committee from cotton producing districts. So we’re well represented.”
What might happen with the Waters of the U.S. under the Biden administration?
“That’s still developing. The last administration had tried to rework and improve the WOTUS legislation to make it more reasonable and acceptable to agriculture, although there were some legal challenges. The Department of Justice has now essentially put all of the lawsuits that were pending on hold, and the new leadership at EPA is reviewing the water regulation from the last administration. We fully anticipate that they’re going to make some changes or adjustments and try to move forward with an updated version, possibly closer to the original WOTUS rule that was maybe a little more onerous and problematic for agriculture and others. We just don’t know yet.”
GET THE NEWSLETTER TODAY!
