Farm Bill Senate Fails
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. Republicans failed to advance the farm bill Thursday, amid proxy voting restrictions and a continued dispute with Democrats over SNAP reforms …
BOOZMAN … “We are going to vote. We are going to adjourn at that point. We’re not going to close this thing. And then we’ll come back and vote on this thing, as soon as
we get back again.”
The Senate farm bill failed on a 10 to 11 vote when two voted yes by proxy, so Republicans were not allowed to win under committee rules.
Had Republicans prevailed, Democrats could still have blocked the farm bill on the Senate floor where it needs 60 votes to move.
Top Ag Democrat Amy Klobuchar on the SNAP holdup …
KLOBUCHAR … “So, we are ready to go through August Mr. Chairman, and we appreciate your work in acknowledging the problem with the error rate that benefits the higher error rate states over the middle error rate states for one year. And we simply are asking for two-years.”
Klobuchar insisted Democrats want to get the farm bill done, but Chair John Boozman was clearly frustrated …
BOOZMAN … “We’re holding hostage the people that we’re charged to help. Again, this is not about SNAP recipients, this is about the states, with very, very high error rates. We’re holding hostage our farm community. When you take livestock out of it, this is one of the poorest industries right now in America. And it’s not just farmers and ranchers, it’s rural America.”
Republicans voted down all Democratic amendments, even those they agreed with like auditing farm payments, so they only go to those actively farming.
A Country of Origin Labeling amendment did pass.
