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National & World Ag News Headlines |
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GOP Leaders Regroup After Farm Bill Vote Fails on Friday
USAgNet - 05/21/2018
House Republicans and President Donald Trump are heading back to the drawing board after the defeat of the farm bill on Friday. Just 198 Republicans voted in favor of the farm bill, failing to send a GOP marker to the Senate as Congress works to reform
nutritional and agricultural programs. Another 13 Republicans, many from the House Freedom Caucus, joined 183 Democrats to defeat the bill.
"President Trump is disappointed in the result of the vote in the House of Representatives on the Farm bill, and hopes the House can resolve any remaining issues in order to achieve strong work requirements and support our Nation's agricultural community,"
Lindsay Walters, White House deputy press secretary, wrote in a statement. "The Administration underscores the need to bring certainty to our farmers and ranchers and to the many Americans receiving food assistance, and will continue to work with Congress
to pass a Farm bill on time."
Chief Deputy Whip Rep. Patrick McHenry told reporters that GOP leadership expected sufficient support for the bill prior to the vote, but blamed conservatives who reneged on a deal to vote on immigration reform prior to June 25 in exchange for their support
on the farm bill, reports ABC News.
"We had enough members that were willing to vote for the farm bill, that like the farm bill, but a small group that wanted to extract some direct pledge on immigration that we could not simply fulfil under their timeframe, which is really a great disappointment that
they would vote against a policy that they professed to support in order to get something immediate that was not in our legislative capacity," McHenry, R-North Carolina, said.
Throughout the week, members of the House Freedom Caucus had pressured GOP leaders to schedule a vote on the Goodlatte bill, "Securing America's Future Act."
"You're asked to put up a vote now for a promise in the future that is somewhat vague, and unfortunately too many of our members have been left standing at the altar," Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Scott Perry, a member of the Freedom Caucus, told
reporters. "It's all about timing unfortunately, and leverage, and I think the farm bill was a casualty."
McHenry told reporters he is worried the farm bill's defeat will inspire more Republicans -- within "probably hours" -- to sign onto a discharge petition to force a free-wheeling debate on immigration reform next month.
"I think Republicans in the majority need to resolve our vote on immigration, or a series of votes, and come to terms with that. We should not allow the Democrats to utilize the floor to hijack this process," he said. "What I'm interested in is putting an immigration
bill that the president supports and that we can pass on the House floor. I don't think Goodlatte is going to be the product that can pass the floor."
California Rep. Jeff Denham, a moderate Republican who is leading the effort to gather signatures on the discharge petition, said Republicans will regroup this afternoon with Ryan and other GOP leaders.
"We are continuing to add more signatures," Denham said. "I would say given the breaking of the agreement that was made today, you're going to see more Republicans that are frustrated and angry enough to sign onto something that they've never signed onto
before."
The effort currently stands at 196 signatures, just 22 votes short of the 218 signatures required.
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