House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., told The Hagstrom Report on Wednesday that putting part of the farm bill into a budget reconciliation bill is an “option.”

In a short interview on the sidelines of the North American Blueberry Council reception, Thompson said that it would be possible to put parts of the farm bill into the reconciliation package, but not everything. Thompson said that Senate leaders have told him that a measure to raise the reference prices that trigger crop subsidy payments would not be in conflict with the Byrd rule that allows senators to block provisions of reconciliation bills that are “extraneous” to reconciliation’s basic purpose of implementing budget changes. 

Thompson said that congressional leaders are still working on other ways to bring up the farm bill and that “it is good to have options” on how to handle it.

Farm lobbyists have said they worry that if reference prices are raised in the reconciliation bill it would be hard to bring up the rest of the bill.

Thompson made the comments as the House and Senate are trying to come to terms on a budget resolution that would be needed before considering a reconciliation bill. The Senate had been eyeing the week of April 7 for a vote, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has told senators they should be ready to vote on the measure next week, Axios reported.