House Republicans narrowly passed a farm bill on Thursday that was stripped of hundreds of billions in funding for food stamps, abandoning four decades of precedent to gain the backing of conservative lawmakers.
The 216 to 208 vote was a victory for a Republican caucus that has struggled to pass the most basic of legislation, but it also set up weeks of acrimony and uncertainty as House and Senate leaders must reconcile two vastly different visions for providing subsidies to farmers and feeding the hungry.
Against that backdrop, the two chambers must hash out a farm bill by the end of September or policy will revert to a 1949 law that could lead to steep price increases on everyday items such as milk.
How in the hell do we, as a nation, separate out farms from feeding the hungry? The farm bills in the past have all been coupled with food stamp programs that feed the the poor. Step over women, there is also a war on the poor, especially the most vulnerable Americans, the children. Approximately 80% of past farm bills have been for the food stamp program. Around 48 million Americans rely on this program for nutrition.
A few Republicans voted against this farm bill. No Democrats voted for it.
One can’t help but wonder how a party that claims to be so pro-life can justify cutting off nutritional resources to the poor children of America? The hypocrisy is simply overwhelming and staggering to contemplate. Shame!
