Kevin McCarthy's Looming Legislative Challenge and Waning Power

The upcoming reauthorization of the $1 trillion farm bill is shaping up to be a major legislative test for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as GOP hardliners are keen to limit the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other farm safety net programs. Republican lawmakers from agriculture-heavy districts, however, want to pass the bill quickly, and worry that far-right colleagues will delay passage. McCarthy will need to secure bipartisan support to pass the must-pass legislation, but concessions to the hard right could alienate the rest of the caucus. The reauthorization process could drag into 2024, putting additional pressure on the agriculture sector and becoming a political headache for lawmakers in agriculture-heavy districts and states ahead of the 2024 election.