BREAKING: House Passes Farm Bill 213-211
BREAKING NEWS: The House passed the farm bill Thursday after taking a second vote on the measure. It passed on a 213-211 party-line vote with some 20 Republicans voting against it.
The bill was originally defeated May 18 after the conservative Freedom Caucus voted against it while holding out for a vote on an unrelated immigration bill. That immigration bill was defeated on the House floor earlier Thursday afternoon clearing the way for House reconsideration of the farm bill.
“Today’s vote was about keeping faith with the men and women of rural America and about the enduring promise of the dignity of a day’s work," House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX) said in a statement following the vote. "It was about providing certainty to farmers and ranchers who have been struggling under the weight of a five-year recession and about providing our neighbors in need with more than just a hand out, but a hand up. I’m proud of what this body has accomplished, and now look forward to working with the Senate and the president to deliver a farm bill on time to the American people.”
The full Senate has yet to vote on that chamber's version of the farm bill. That vote could come as early as next week.
House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson (D-MN) blasted the partisan nature of the farm bill debate in the House and said he will seek changes when and if the bill moves to a House-Senate conference committee.
“The partisan approach of the Majority has produced a bill that simply doesn’t do enough for the people it’s supposed to serve," Peterson said in a statement. "It still leaves farmers and ranchers vulnerable, it worsens hunger and it fails rural communities. The only upside to its passage is that we’re one step closer to conference, where it’s my hope that cooler heads can and will prevail. The Senate’s version isn’t perfect, but it avoids the hardline partisan approach that House Republicans have taken here today, and if it passes, I look forward to working with conferees to produce a conference report both parties can support, which is the only way to get a farm bill enacted into law.”
The Senate version of the bill does not include work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients that are in the House bill. Those work requirements were the main sticking point with House Democrats and are an issue that will have to be resolved in conference committee. Conaway told the AgriTalk Radio Show Thursday morning that conference could occur as soon as next month.
This is breaking news. Watch AgWeb for further updates.
