Starting A Step Ahead
It’s not often that we start a new legislative season a step ahead, but that’s exactly where we are on a key issue: a national vineyard survey by NASS, the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the United States Department of Agriculture.
WineAmerica’s economic impact studies in 2017 and 2022 spotlighted the glaring absence of basic data on America’s vineyards, which exist in all 50 states. Just as vineyards are the foundation of the wine industry, credible data is the foundation for economic research.
When we unveiled the 2022 study in Congress on September 21, I emphasized this and said that WineAmerica would make it a legislative priority immediately. Our original intent was (and still is) to make this part of the 2023 Farm Bill, but we got started much earlier.
The massive Omnibus spending bill passed and signed on December 23 included language encouraging NASS to revive its prior every-five-year Vineyard and Orchard Survey, which is a vital first step in the process. That happened because of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who met with us and agreed with our concerns, and whose leadership we greatly appreciate.
There is still lots of work to do on this, but getting a jump like this in DC is a big deal. It could easily save us over a year in getting this vital survey done.
Partisan Gridlock
There are many uncertainties surrounding Congressional action (or inaction) over the next two years, but one near-certainty is partisan gridlock.
After two years of one-party rule where the Democrats controlled the White House, Senate, and House, the latter is now narrowly in Republican control. But who will be the Speaker, and when, and who will chair and serve on the various committees? TBD. This Tuesday marked the first time in 100 years–a full century!–that a Speaker of the House was not elected on the first vote, and as of this writing there is still no leader.
The would-be Speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), vowed to kill any proposals from Republican Senators who voted for the Omnibus bill, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, but that’s pretty much a moot point anyway since Democrats continue to control the Senate.
Fortunately, the Omnibus bill funds the government through September 30, which means no government shutdowns during that time, but there will still be pitched battles about a new spending measure plus the need to raise the debt ceiling or risk sparking a global recession. And there will likely be investigations of investigations.
Beyond the NASS vineyard survey, the USPS Shipping Equity Act allowing the postal service to ship wine, beer and spirits remains a WineAmerica priority. Fortunately, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), who chairs the House Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee and co-chairs the Congressional Wine Caucus, is the lead sponsor in that chamber, with Sen. Merkley (D-OR) leading in the Senate.
On the regulatory front, WineAmerica’s Executive Vice President and Director of Government Affairs Michael Kaiser will be busy responding to some TTB proposals, including a likely one involving nutrition information, ingredient labeling, and caloric content for wine and other alcohol beverages.
Detailed information on all these issues and more will soon be available in our 2023 Government Affairs Report. In addition, the best way to stay up to date with key DC developments is to join WineAmerica and receive Michael’s weekly e-updates on News from the Hill.
