The Republican led House was able to narrowly pass an enormous farm subsidies bill on Thursday but only after removing every part of the bill that dealt with food stamps infuriating both the White House and Democrats, according to the Washington Post.
Prior to the House vote the White House had already promised to veto the bill if it were to make it through the Senate, which is highly unlikely. Historically the farm bill not only provides billions in aid to farmers but also provides billions toward food stamp program. The two issues were brought together as a way to garner support from legislators representing urban areas as well as those representing rural areas, according to Fox News.
"(The bill) fails to reauthorize nutrition programs, which benefit millions of Americans - in rural, suburban and urban areas alike," a memo from President Barack Obama's budget office read. "The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a cornerstone of our nation's food assistance safety net, and should not be left behind as the rest of the Farm Bill passes."
The exclusion of nutrition programs from the bill set off a fierce and raucous debate on the House floor. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., mockingly asked if the exclusion was due to a printing error, according to the Washington Post.
House Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., had been opposed to splitting the farm subsidies and nutrition programs into separate bills but reluctantly changed his mind, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
"Maybe the old dynamic of how we have done things since 1965 isn't valid anymore," Lucas said. "Maybe it is time to try something different."
It is unclear if either bill will be able to become law once separated from the other, especially since the farm bill seems to be guaranteed defeat. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, voted for the original version of the farm bill that included food stamps because he felt it adequately dealt with both subjects, according to the Washington Post.
"If it was just the same bill split in to two, of course I'd vote for that, but if they've made changes that are substantive? Yikes," Chaffetz said. "Even though I whipped yes, I might vote no. I've got to go figure that out."
The White House did not only attack the bill for failing to include food stamps, they also felt that the bill was insufficient on its own.
"The bill does not contain sufficient commodity and crop insurance reforms and does not invest in renewable energy, an important source of jobs and economic growth in rural communities across the country," the memo said. "Legislation as important as a Farm Bill should be constructed in a comprehensive approach that helps strengthen all aspects of the Nation."
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., referred to the bill as a "bill to nowhere" since it's abundantly clear that it will get rejected by Senate Democrats.
"This dead-on-arrival messaging bill only seeks to accomplish one objective: to make it appear that Republicans are moving forward with important legislation even while they continue to struggle at governing," Hoyer said.
