The GOP-controlled House voted 234-195 Thursday to reject a massive half-trillion-dollar farm bill loaded with benefits for special interest groups.
The bill suffered from “lack of Democratic support necessary for the traditionally bipartisan farm bill to pass,” the Associated Press report.
Indeed, only 24 Democrats voted in favor of the costly bill (while 62 Republicans voted against it).
“The addition of the optional state work requirements by an amendment just before final passage turned away any remaining Democratic votes the bill’s supporters may have had,” the AP report adds.
The bill also included provisions that would have cut roughly $2 billion annually from food stamp funding and would have imposed stricter rules regarding eligibility in the nearly $80 billion-a-year program.
The bill’s food stamp provisions quickly became a contentious issue among members of bothparties.
“Many Republicans say the cuts are not enough; the food stamp program has doubled in cost over the last five years to almost $80 billion a year and now helps to feed 1 in 7 Americans,” theAssociated Press reports.
“Liberals oppose any reductions in food stamps, contending that the House plan could remove as many as 2 million needy recipients from the rolls,” the report adds.
An earlier version of the farm bill easily passed the Democrat-controlled Senate 66-27. It’s luck didn’t last in the lower chamber.
Here a complete breakdown of the House vote:
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