2018 farm bill fails to pass House vote

The 2018 farm bill failed to pass the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday in a 198-213 vote.

SherryVSmithVAB | Bigstock.com
SherryVSmithVAB | Bigstock.com

The 2018 farm bill failed to pass the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday in a 198-213 vote.

Fighting within the Republican party over immigration seems to have been the sticking point that caused the vote to fail. Conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus voted against the bill as they sought to gain support on the unrelated Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Democrats were against the bill because of stricter work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Nearly 30 Republicans voted against the $868 billion bill.

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee advanced the farm bill, formally the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, on April 18. While the bill got the committee’s approval less than one week after it was introduced, it lost support in the full House.

“The farm bill keeps faith with our nation’s farmers and ranchers through the current agriculture recession by providing certainty and helping producers manage the enormous risks that are inherent in agriculture,” House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, said upon introducing the bill in April.

“The farm bill also remains faithful to the American taxpayer and consumer. Under the farm bill, consumers will continue to enjoy the safest, most abundant and most affordable food supply in the world, and taxpayers will reap the more than $112 billion in budget savings projected under the current law.”

The deadline to pass a farm bill is September 30.

Agriculture organizations react

The news of the two parties' failure to reach an agreement on the farm bill was disappointing to various agriculture organizations.

“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 the National Young Farmers Coalition (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.”

Zippy Duvall, president of American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), stated: "We are already starting to hear from farmers across the nation, many of whom are perplexed and outraged at this morning's vote. They are facing very real financial challenges. We call on all members of Congress not to use farmers and ranchers as pawns in a political game."

Roger Johnson, president of National Farmers Union, said the bill's failure highlights the need to improve the bill.

"At a time when farmers and ranchers are in significant financial strain due to years of depressed prices, this bill does not make necessary improvements to the farm safety net. It eliminates conservation programs and funding that provide them with the tools they need to be the best possible stewards of our natural resources. It reverses progress toward expanding their access to local, regional and specialty markets. And it makes unnecessary cuts to programs that feed hungry Americans," Johnson stated.

“Major changes need to be made to this bill. Farmers Union urges the House to send it back to committee to make significant improvements worthy of the men and women who feed, fuel and clothe our nation.”

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