Agriculture bill clears House
By: David Rogers
Politico.com
June 16, 2011 09:42 PM EDT
A $17.25 billion agriculture and nutrition bill narrowly cleared the House Thursday after deep cuts from food aid triggered a backlash against commodity programs — spelling more trouble for the farm lobby at a time of high deficits.
Reversing the House stand of just months ago, members opted to block future U.S. payments to Brazil cotton interests, a patchwork trade arrangement that now costs taxpayers $147 million annually and is designed to buy peace for the continued subsidies paid to American growers.
Ninety-five Republicans joined 128 Democrats on the 223-197 roll call which caught the GOP off guard and led to a scramble on the floor as the leadership debated over whether to try to reverse the outcome.
“They just don’t want to have any cracks in that veneer,” Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a farm-subsidy critic told POLITICO.
(More here.)
Politico.com
June 16, 2011 09:42 PM EDT
A $17.25 billion agriculture and nutrition bill narrowly cleared the House Thursday after deep cuts from food aid triggered a backlash against commodity programs — spelling more trouble for the farm lobby at a time of high deficits.
Reversing the House stand of just months ago, members opted to block future U.S. payments to Brazil cotton interests, a patchwork trade arrangement that now costs taxpayers $147 million annually and is designed to buy peace for the continued subsidies paid to American growers.
Ninety-five Republicans joined 128 Democrats on the 223-197 roll call which caught the GOP off guard and led to a scramble on the floor as the leadership debated over whether to try to reverse the outcome.
“They just don’t want to have any cracks in that veneer,” Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a farm-subsidy critic told POLITICO.
(More here.)
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1 Comments:
The votes on the amendments really showed how far the Republicans would go … and who they would protect. I blogged about John Kline’s votes --- favoring deeper cuts for Women’s Infants Children programs … but protecting Monsanto and Pioneer on the Brazil Cotton Institute amendment which was offered not by the Republicans but by Democrat Ron Kind… and then Mr. Kline was the only Minnesota Republican to deny Jeff Flake’s amendment to cut the limit to $250k … which would be more than sufficient that most Minnesota family farms would not be affected.
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