Club for Growth ‘Key Votes’ Against Farm Bill Again
The Club for Growth told lawmakers Wednesday that it would key vote against the House farm bill, despite GOP leadership’s plans to drop food stamps from the measure.
“Breaking up the unholy alliance between agricultural policy and the food stamp program within the traditional farm bill is an excellent decision on behalf of House leadership,” Andrew Roth, the group’s vice president of public affairs, wrote in a letter to congressional offices. “However, the whole purpose of splitting up the bill is to enact true reform that reduces the size and scope of government. Sadly, this ‘farm-only’ bill does not do that, especially under an anticipated closed rule. It is still loaded down with market-distorting giveaways to special interests with no path established to remove the government’s involvement in the agriculture industry.”
Roth added that the group suspects that the process is a “rope-a-dope” exercise aimed at getting to conference with the Senate where food stamps would be bolted back onto the bill.
And with the House silent on the nutrition portion of the bill they could end up taking the Senate’s language.
“Unless our suspicions are proven unwarranted, we will continue to oppose this bill,” Roth wrote.
House leaders have found their plan to split off food stamps a tough sell so far.