Embattled Farm Bill goes down to defeat
The 2018 Farm Bill failed to pass the House of Representatives Friday as Democrats found its cuts to food assistance programs draconian, while conservative members of Congress didn’t think it went far enough to curb government assistance.
In a statement, the White House said President Trump was “disappointed” in the result of the vote. Meanwhile, Democrats and anti- hunger advocates applauded the failure of the House Republicans’ 2018 Farm Bill, saying the legislation would have taken away billions of dollars in funding for school lunches and food stamps, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ( SNAP).
The bill, which is renewed every five years and dictates federal financing of farm subsidies and food assistance, also wasn’t supported by 30 members of the House Freedom Caucus, who said they wanted stricter work requirements for
SNAP eligibility.
Because the vote was close at 198- 213, House leader Paul Ryan scheduled a re- vote on Tuesday in the hopes of getting more Republicans on board. The bill got no votes from Democrats, who have been lambasting its new work requirements and other restrictions ever since Michael Conaway, RTexas, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, presented it last month.
“We may be down, but we are not out. We will deliver a strong, new farm bill on time,” said Conaway in a statement following the defeat. “Our nation’s farmers and ranchers and rural America deserve nothing less.”
The Senate will come out with its own version of the Farm Bill in the coming weeks. Here’s a look at why the Farm Bill matters, and how the process works.
What is the Farm Bill and why is it a big deal?
Officially called the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 ( HR2), the Farm Bill is a set of rules for government- funded agricultural programs, including farmer subsidies, conservation, crop insurance and rural development.
What does farming have to do with food stamps?
The biggest part of the Farm Bill’s $ 867 billion budget, by far, is for federal food assistance programs like SNAP.
Why is Congress voting on the Farm Bill now?
Congress reauthorizes the bill every five years. If it’s not reauthorized before it expires in September, Congress could extend the current bill another year. But with commodity prices down and many agricultural communities struggling across the country, many farmers say that the uncertainty would make it hard for them to plan ahead.
Why should Bay Area residents care?
The Republicans’ proposed changes would hurt low- income Bay Area residents the hardest because of the high cost of living here. The bill would change how much of a person’s budget can factor into the daily food stamps allowance. In San Francisco alone, roughly one in four people struggle with hunger.
In addition, environmental groups are concerned about the House Agricultural Committee’s proposed change to conservation and endangered species protection. For example, the National Resources Defense Council said that, if passed, the bill would have exempted public lands from “important land, wildlife and water conservation safeguards.”
The bill also includes an amendment that could have restricted California’s ability to set its own policies on farm animal welfare, such as its rules regarding farm animal confinement, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
What are Republicans trying to accomplish with the new bill?
Conaway and other Republicans who support the bill said they want to promote opportunity by “emphasizing work for work- capable Americans.”
What are the main issues Democrats have with the current version?
Democrats complained that the bill was not bipartisan because they never agreed to the proposed changes to SNAP, including expanding work requirements to those age 50 to 59 and to parents of minors over age 5.
Republicans also proposed shifting billions of dollars away from direct benefits to job training programs that Democrats say are bureaucratic and untested. This move would lead to a decrease of $ 20 billion in direct benefits over 10 years, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a research and policy institute that focuses on programs serving low- income communities.
“We want to thank the members of Congress who did take a courageous step against hunger and said no to these extremely harmful SNAP provisions, which would take food off the table of millions of struggling Americans,” said Jared Call of California Food Policy Advocates.
Why did 30 Republicans also vote against the bill?
Members of the House Freedom Caucus had threatened to withhold their votes because they found the new work SNAP requirements not strong enough. The members also said they wanted a promise of immigration reform before they would agree to support it, even after President Trump expressed support for the bill Thursday on Twitter.
What happens next?
If the re- vote fails Tuesday, the House will have to eventually pass a new bill. Meanwhile, the Senate is due to present its own bill, which Pat Roberts, R- Kan., and Debbie Stabenow, D- Mich., have promised to be bipartisan. If both bills are passed, they would go to a smaller committee of senators and representatives who would hash out a final bill, which President Trump would then decide whether or not to sign.