On a vote of 198-213 in the U.S. House, the 2018 Farm Bill failed to pass. The vote came after hours of voting on individual amendments and after days of partisan discussions and other amendment voting.
House of Representatives just failed to put the votes together to pass the farm bill. 30 Republicans voted no..believed to be the freedom caucus and all Democrats voted no. Well, at least that was bipartisan….
— Jay Truitt (@dcpolicy) May 18, 2018
The ability of this bill to pass was in jeopardy leading up to Friday, as many points of contention, including SNAP benefits and crop insurance, lingered. With no support from Democrats, Republicans needed to pass the bill within their own party, something that didn’t occur. Many people on Twitter were calling it a failure of leadership in the GOP.
For a full list of proposed House amendments that had been discussed, click here.
In a statement after the House vote, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue had this to say: “A Farm Bill is necessary to provide our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers with the stability and predictability they need. Our farmers feed the people of this nation and the world, and they deserve the certainty of a Farm Bill.”
The Senate is working on its own version of the Farm Bill, which is expected to be out soon and isn’t as strict on the SNAP requirements, giving it a better chance of passage.
On Friday afternoon, the National Young Farmers Coalition called on Members of Congress to repair the bipartisan Farm Bill coalition and deliver a bill that works for everyone.
“Today’s vote should prove once and for all that Congress cannot pass a bill this important by dividing Republicans and Democrats; dividing what’s right for farmers and what’s right for families; pitting the largest farms against the smallest,” said Lindsey Lusher Shute, co-founder and Executive Director of NYFC. “We need a farm bill that works for, and includes, all of us. One that supports farmers and ranchers struggling through an economic downturn or growing amidst a drought, and one that can sustain farming as a viable livelihood for future generations. NYFC farmers brought Members of Congress to their farms, wrote op-eds, and sent countless letters with one theme: We cannot wait another Farm Bill to address the structural barriers holding our generation back. The House Farm Bill presented today didn’t heed that call. The House was right to defeat it, and let’s hope it’s back to the drawing board.”
The deadline for Congress to pass a Farm Bill is Sept. 30.
