Skip to main content

Congressman Marc Veasey Votes "No" on SNAP Cuts and Poison Pill Amendments to the Farm Bill

June 20, 2013

Farm Bill Fails Passage in the House of Representatives by 195-234 Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives voted against passage of H.R. 1947, known as the Farm Bill. Congressman Marc Veasey provided the following remarks following the defeat of the legislation:

“Today, H.R. 1947, the “Farm Bill,” failed on the floor of the House of Representatives by a significant vote of 195-234. I voted no. I voted no because the bill that was brought to the floor already contained severe and unacceptable cuts of over $20 billion to vital nutrition programs for needy families, and the bill was degraded further by poison pill amendments from the extreme fringe of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

We saw 203 amendments to this bill, among them some that compared America’s needy families to reviled criminals and illegal drug users and portrayed them as unwilling to work for themselves. I stand ready to vote in support of reasonable, bipartisan legislation that will provide a responsible legal framework for our nation’s agriculture and hunger community to produce food and fiber to feed and clothe America. But that was not the bill that was before us today. I urge my Republican colleagues to work across the aisle with Democrats on responsible public policy, not extreme talking points.”

###