With the 2018 midterm elections concluded, the 116th Congress has begun to take shape.  Democrats took control of the House, and Republicans expanded their majority in the Senate.  Races in several of California’s House districts are still too close to call.  More gridlock is expected in a divided Congress, but there will be opportunities for bipartisan cooperation on rural issues such as the Farm Bill and rural broadband. 

Representative Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota) will likely chair the House Agriculture Committee in the 116th Congress where he is expected to scrap the House Republican version of the Farm Bill, and write his own. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) are more likely to reach an agreement with House Democrats over the Farm Bill’s nutrition title.  A House Democrat version of the bill is also expected to remove forest management reform language included in HR 2 that would reform environmental regulations to promote active forest management.  The language was opposed by environmentalists, and not expected to survive in Chairman Peterson’s version as a result.

Representative Frank Pallone (D-New Jersey) is expected to Chair the Energy and Commerce Committee, prioritizing issues like health insurance and prescription drug prices.  However, the Energy and Commerce Committee also has jurisdiction over issues related to rural broadband.  Rural broadband is a top issue in Democrats’ “Better Deal” agenda for the 116th Congress, which pledges to invest $40 billion in high-speed broadband deployment in underserved areas.  Republicans favor an approach to rural broadband that cuts environmental regulations and other red tape, but rural broadband is a bipartisan priority and a potential area for compromise.