House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., said the tax bill will open a “Pandora’s box” of problems and that he expects congressional leaders to look for a bill that can draw bipartisan support such as the farm bill, the Red River Farm Network reported Dec. 11.

“I had a meeting with the chairman (Michael Conaway, R-Texas). We agreed that we’re going to start marking this up in committee at the end of January or the first part of February. We need to move this sooner-rather-than-later,” Peterson said In an interview.

“We’ve seen some of the language, but not all of it,” Peterson explained.

“My expectation is that we’ll have a starting draft document that will be supported by myself and the chairman. We’ll go through regular order; people will be able to offer amendments and the public will be able to weigh in,” Peterson said.

“That’s the way things should be done and that’s how they should have done the tax bill.”

Peterson said that after the farm bill moves through the Agriculture Committee he believes it will move to the House floor in February or March, with the Senate moving at a slower pace.

He said there are Senate Democrats who want to drag their feet with hopes they will have the majority in 2019. Peterson described that as “a really bad idea.”

A spokesperson for Conaway was unable to confirm the timing for mark-up of the farm bill, but said it will move in the first quarter, the Red River Farm Network said.

A statement said “the committee stands to be ready when the (majority) leader provides floor time.”