Farm Bill Fail

Farm Bill Fail

Maura Bennett
Maura Bennett
Farm Bill "Setback"

"Does not pass."

Now What?

The House farm bill died in a vote on the floor Friday 198-213, and it's future is more uncertain because it all all came down to a fight over immigration.

The $868 billion bill that subsidizes agriculture and funds food assistance programs was already in trouble with Democrats and moderate Republicans criticizing harsher work requirements for food stamps recipients, which experts estimate could amount to more than $20 billion in cuts to the program's benefits and impact more than 1 million people.

Conservatives says those work requirements didn't go far enough.

But in the end it was conservatives in the Freedom Caucus who sunk the bill because they want a vote on an immigration proposal by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), which does not include a path to citizenship and imposes stricter immigration checks.

Still House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway said the bill will get done.

"We experienced a setback today after a streak of victories all week. We may be down, but we are not out. We will deliver a strong, new farm bill on time as the President of the United States has called on us to do. Our nation's farmers and ranchers and rural America deserve nothing less."

Republican Representative Dennis Ross, said he thought the farm bill would be back on the House floor next week.

The current Farm Bill, passed in 2014 is set to expire at the end of September.

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