WASHINGTON D.C. — Congressman Mike Conaway’s 2018 Farm Bill failed to pass the Republican-controlled House of Representatives Friday morning, May 18. The bill made modest adjustments to the food stamp program, or SNAP, to require able-bodied recipients to work 20 hours per week if they were aged 18-59. The existing law required 20 hours of work per week for ages 18-49.
There were other adjustments to SNAP that Conaway, the Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture, said were for better governance. The work requirement increased to 25 hours per week in 10 years. The bill tightened rules to disallow fraud, and increased funding for states to create training programs for able-bodied citizens on SNAP but still unemployed. Conaway said that even with the reforms, about 60 percent of the recipients would remain classified as not able-bodied and would continue to receive food stamps without the work requirement.
The bill didn’t pass, 198-213, because the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative congressmen who vote in a block, wanted to attach immigration reforms and money for building the wall to the legislation as a condition for their support. On the other side of the aisle, the Democrats decided last month not to offer Conaway’s bill any support, so the bill received no Democrat votes. Conaway admitted that the 2018 Farm Bill markup completed in his committee was accomplished by just Republicans. But, he said, the Democrats were invited to participate. They chose not to, he said.
Conaway had no help, right or left.
Conaway told us late Friday morning after the floor vote failed that he was down, but not out. “We experienced a setback today after a streak of victories all week. We may be down, but we are not out. We will deliver a strong, new farm bill on time as the President of the United States has called on us to do. Our nation’s farmers and ranchers and rural America deserve nothing less,” he said.
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"In an effort to get his version of the 2018 Farm Bill passed through the House of Representatives, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway offered an unimaginable “poison pill” to House representatives: Only those who plan to vote for the Farm Bill can offer amendments. This shuts out any member who doesn’t promise to vote with the current majority. Regardless of which party is in the majority, such tactics should remain unacceptable."
Pretending that Conaway is a nice guy and portraying him as an innocent victim only works if the reader is unaware of the facts. Conaway wants to attack the Social Safety Net. His plan will result in an estimated 1.2 million of our country's most vulnerable being removed from government assistance. Conaway only helps the rich. When Conaway deals with something that affects the poor he takes it away from them whenever possible.
https://rafiusa.org/blog/the-houses-poison-pill-plan-to-pass-the-farm-bill/
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PermalinkYeah, but, Democrats eat aborted fetuses. When you go to any polling station, think about an aborted fetus. That's what Democrats eat. Because they're lizard people.
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PermalinkStop spreading disinformation, Rita! Even if it is entirely believable, and not improbable, disinformation!
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PermalinkDemocrats want to take away our guns so they can herd everyone into the topographical pentagram of Wal-Marts they're building in town! Just 2 more to go!
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PermalinkYour comment is entirely besides the point, Rita! Stop trolling! No matter how completely plausible your troll comments are!
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PermalinkConaway is like Rafael Cruz, nobody likes him, nobody takes him serious. "No collusion" Mike took his ball home, so no one was able to play.
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PermalinkRepublicans would rather see fetuses grow and get slaughtered in kindergarden and so on. Then hand the country to Vlad, the Electioneer.
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PermalinkThere are bits of truth to what has been posted... "Gump", While I understand that you are interested in speaking out for those "vulnerable" folks who would have been kicked off of SNAP, it's not just vulnerable folks who are using this program... There are numerous folks taking advantage of it. Folks that sell drugs and receive $600.00+ a month in benefits that we are paying into. While Conaway's proposal may not have completely solved the problem, it is one that still needs to be addressed.
Between "Salt" and "MasaRita", the government hasn't for many years protected life at conception, so it does make it hard to feel like they care about life thereafter... Protecting life is the everyday, American's job and we've failed too... Time to vote for something that makes a difference and flush out those that don't care about life, at conception and beyond...
I'm not a Democrat or Republican, I do have "conservative" values in many regards and lean more towards the right but I'll oppose them too when I find myself in a situation where there's conflict of interests.
As far as all the "Russian", mind control and internet hacking... You give them too much credence Salty... American's, won't give this country over to itself, let alone the Russians.
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Permalinkhttps://youtu.be/udIAdSguEtQ?t=2m4s
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PermalinkYou are right. This country is being sold, not given away. All these RINOs on the site are complicit. Speading all these Russian lies. Not saying a word when Russian President trump offers to bail out a company in China known to US Intel as a threat to US security. Adding to the deficit, when being conservative, is the main principle of the party. It's selling ones soul to the devil in hopes of long life, in power, but not realizing the consequences.
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