WASHINGTON, D.C. -- After months of negotiations, the $867 billion farm bill is headed to President Trump to be signed into law.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 369 to 47 to pass the bill on Wednesday, following the U.S. Senate voting in favor on Tuesday.
- U.S. House voted 369-47 in favor
- 5-year bill
- President Trump expected to sign into law
In interviews with Spectrum News, three of Ohio’s Republican congressmen explained why they voted yes for the bill, despite it not including every reform they wanted. Representative Brad Wenstrup (OH-2) said the 5-year bill is an improvement from the last version that expired in September.
“Is there anything, I guess, specifically you’ve heard from farmers or other people in your district that you were really hoping to have included in it that isn’t?” asked Spectrum Washington reporter Taylor Popielarz.
“No, not particularly,” Wenstrup said. “I think that the farmers’ voice was pretty well heard in this bill.”
But he, and many other House Republicans — like Rep. Bill Johnson (OH-6) — were hoping an earlier draft that they passed would’ve made the cut.
“But at the end of the day, I have to vote on legislation based on what’s in it, not what’s not in it,” Johnson said. “And when I look at it and determine, is it going to help the people that I represent? Is it going to move the needle forward for them? Is it going to create opportunities for them? Then, yes.”
That original House version would have created work requirements for people of certain ages who receive food stamps through the SNAP program, which is funded through the farm bill but the Senate didn’t agree to that, so a compromise was made this month and got lawmakers to this point.
Only 20 percent of the farm bill actually goes to farmers. The other 80 percent funds everything from conservation programs, that will help protect Lake Erie, to the SNAP food stamp program. For Ohioans in agriculture, Rep. Bob Latta (OH-5) said this bill will help.
His Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act was included in the final version. It will help expand access to broadband and technology in rural areas.
“When you look into the future, the amount of money that farmers are going to be able to save, and more income that they’re going to have, because of the technology that they’ll have in the rural areas, it’s going to be very, very, beneficial,” Latta said.
All three congressmen did point out that some reforms to work requirements under the food stamp program did make it into the final bill, but Democrats, like Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, have said it’s a good thing most of the reforms didn’t. President Trump will likely sign the farm bill into law this week.