Excerpt -- House leaders hope that splitting the bill would make it easier to get approval for a new five-year farm bill — the bill offered last month was derailed because conservatives wanted much deeper cuts in the food stamps program than the proposed $20 billion. Sixty-two Republicans joined with Democrats to vote against the measure, a stinging defeat for Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, who had endorsed bill. One Republican who voted against bill last month said he welcomed the split. “It’s good government and transparency to have the bill split into farm programs and nutrition,” said Marlin Stutzman, Republican of Indiana, who has advocated for the separation. But Democrats called the proposal an act of desperation. “This is really bad policy that ignores years of urban and rural cooperation,” said Peter Welch, Democrat of Vermont. “And it completely ignores the bipartisan efforts of the House Agriculture Committee.” Environmental and conservative groups also criticized the move. “It is unconscionable that House leaders have put forward a farm bill that provides unlimited subsidies to the largest and most successful farm businesses, and guts programs to help the environment,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs of the Environmental Working Group, a Washington research organization. “If passed, this bill would be the costliest farm bill in history. It should be rejected.”
Posted on: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 14:42:04 +0000
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