Rep. Kihuen Statement on Failure of Farm Bill

Statement

Today, Rep. Ruben J. Kihuen issued the following statement after the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, H.R. 2 failed to secure enough votes for passage in the U.S. House of Representatives:

"This bill would have harmed the most vulnerable in our country, pulling the rug out from under our American families and making it more difficult for them to put food on their kitchen tables. House Republicans' failure to pass H.R. 2 underscores how important the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps 40 million families each year, is for the American people. Their failure to secure enough votes for this disastrous bill, which cut $23 billion in SNAP benefits over 10 years and eliminated programs like free school meals for children, would have made it harder for working families to feed themselves. I am pleased that some Republicans were courageous enough to break with their party's leadership and vote against this bill. Perhaps they realized that adding onerous and duplicative work requirements that target poorer communities, while simultaneously slashing funding for job-creating rural development initiatives, was bad politics. Whatever the reasons for their change of heart, the failure of H.R. 2 is a victory for children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities who make up over two-thirds of SNAP beneficiaries."

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