Food Stamps Kills Farm Bill
U.S. House Defeats Farm Bill
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
The Republican controlled House rejected the massive Farm Bill on Thursday - the vote was 234-195 against the measure.
The majority of Democrats in the House, 24, voted no because they opposed the food stamp cuts. But Democrats weren’t the only ones who voted no, 62 Republicans also voted against the bill, which called for deeper cuts to food stamps. About 80 percent of the farm bill currently goes towards food stamps, while the remaining falls under farm policy.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack calls the defeat of the farm bill “disappointing,” noting that a lack of leadership is to blame. Vilsack also said “the House version of this bill would have unfairly denied food assistance for millions of struggling families and their children, while failing to achieve needed reforms or critical investments to continue economic growth in rural America.”
Another extension of the 2008 farm bill would make most farmers happy, with dairy farmers being the exception. If the bill is extended for the second time, that would mean that farmers would receive direct payments for crops, no changes to crop insurance and no cuts to food stamps.