Support The Wire

Washington lawmakers react to failed farm bill

Friday morning the U.S. House of Representatives rejected the $897 billion House farm bill by a vote of 198-213. Thirty Republicans joined 183 Democratic Representatives in voting against the bill. Washington Republicans McMorris Rodgers, Herrera Beutler, Reichert, and Newhouse all voted in support.

Previous farm bills have typically had bipartisan support, but Democrats have been outspoken in their opposition to this latest version due its cuts to nutrition assistance programs.

Earlier this week, Governor Inslee wrote a letter to the Washington State Congressional Delegation urging them to vote no on the farm bill.

“Rather than working with Democrats to improve the security of our food supply, enhance the competitiveness of our agricultural industry and support nutritious meals for all Americans, House Republicans have taken a go-it-alone approach with a clear goal of taking away food assistance from millions of individuals, including thousands of Washingtonians.”

Inslee primarily took issue with the farm bill’s impact on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – the food stamps program that provides 920,000 Washingtonians with nutrition assistance. According to Inslee’s letter, the farm bill would cut the SNAP budget by $17 billion over the next 10 years. Inslee also wrote that the bill’s expansion of work requirements and mandatory job-training programs would be costly and burdensome.

“Contrary to the rhetoric of the bill’s supporters, it is clear the legislation would not serve to help individuals become self-sufficient, but rather to place a massive unfunded mandate on states and rip away food assistance from those who need it most,” wrote Inslee.

Prior to the farm bill vote, other Democratic Washington state politicians voiced their opposition:

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA09):

“This Farm Bill is a missed opportunity to put forward a bipartisan bill that addresses our food insecurity challenges & supports conservation, agriculture, & programs that are vital to preserving the environment & strengthening our economy.”

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA02):

“This bill completely misses the mark in fostering future trade opportunities for local farmers & guts rural development, crop insurance and nutrition funding.”

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA04) who strongly supported the bill during legislative proceedings had this to say after the vote:

“I am disappointed that House Democrats and some Republicans joined together to vote against farmers,” said Rep. Newhouse. “Congress must act to strengthen the future of American farmers who are struggling with the lowest farm income in more than a decade. Before voting in favor of the Farm Bill, I traveled up and down Central Washington to speak with local farmers, ranchers, and producers, and this legislation would have gone a long way to address the concerns raised by my constituents.”

Meanwhile in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN) says they expect to finalize a bipartisan farm bill in June.


Your support matters.

Public service journalism is important today as ever. If you get something from our coverage, please consider making a donation to support our work. Thanks for reading our stuff.