It remains unclear who will become the next Speaker of the U.S. House, but Kam Quarles CEO of the National Potato Council says it needs to happen quickly.
He says the House needs to get back to work. “With a government shutdown, the farm bill, all of these things, the pain is going to be magnified the longer we put this stuff off and the longer this drama is able to overhang this pretty vital institution,” he says
Quarles tells Brownfield this week’s actions send a very clear message, “That working across the aisle is grounds for removal.” He says that could be a challenge for big spending bills that still need to be tackled, like funding the government and the 2023 Farm Bill. “Those are going to be pieces of legislation that a new Speaker has got to think long and hard about if they want to get them across the House floor and still keep their job,” he says.
