Key Vote Alert – “NO” on the Farm Bill Conference Report (HR 2642)
KEY VOTE ALERT
“NO” on the Farm Bill Conference Report (HR 2642)
The Club for Growth urges all members of Congress to vote “NO” on the conference report to the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 (HR 2642). We expect a vote in the House later this week, with a vote in the Senate some time thereafter. The vote will be included in the Club’s 2014 Congressional Scorecard.
For starters, this 949-page bill is yet another bloated proposal that House and Senate leaders are rushing through Congress without giving members and the public enough time to read and understand the bill. The CBO hasn’t even issued an official score at the time of this key vote alert’s release.
Second, this bill continues, for blatant political reasons, the unholy marriage of agricultural subsidies and food stamps – two completely separate issues. At a minimum, these two programs should be voted on as separate, stand-alone bills. True reform would also include implementing a plan to devolve the food stamp program to the states and eventually eliminate federal agricultural subsidies. This bill is well short of that goal. Instead, it’s a “Christmas Tree” bill where there’s a gift for practically every special interest group out there with a well-connected lobbyist, including the fresh-cut Christmas tree industry!
Vote Results
Club Position
No
Required for Majority
1/2
Vote Results
Conference Report Agreed to
Vote Number
259
Vote Date
December 11, 2018
Vote Counts
YEAs:
87
NAYs:
13
Not Voting:
0
Tammy Baldwin
WI
D
Y
Michael Bennet
CO
D
Y
Richard Blumenthal
CT
D
Y
Cory Booker
NJ
D
Y
Sherrod Brown
OH
D
Y
Maria Cantwell
WA
D
Y
Benjamin Cardin
MD
D
Y
Thomas Carper
DE
D
Y
Bob Casey
PA
D
Y
Christopher Coons
DE
D
Y
Catherine Cortez Masto
NV
D
Y
Joe Donnelly
IN
D
Y
Tammy Duckworth
IL
D
Y
Richard Durbin
IL
D
Y
Dianne Feinstein
CA
D
Y
Kirsten Gillibrand
NY
D
Y
Kamala Harris
CA
D
Y
Maggie Hassan
NH
D
Y
Martin Heinrich
NM
D
Y
Heidi Heitkamp
ND
D
Y
Mazie Hirono
HI
D
Y
Doug Jones
AL
D
Y
Tim Kaine
VA
D
Y
Amy Klobuchar
MN
D
Y
Patrick Leahy
VT
D
Y
Joe Manchin
WV
D
Y
Edward Markey
MA
D
Y
Claire McCaskill
MO
D
Y
Robert Menendez
NJ
D
Y
Jeff Merkley
OR
D
Y
Christopher Murphy
CT
D
Y
Patty Murray
WA
D
Y
Bill Nelson
FL
D
Y
Gary Peters
MI
D
Y
Jack Reed
RI
D
Y
Brian Schatz
HI
D
Y
Chuck Schumer
NY
D
Y
Jeanne Shaheen
NH
D
Y
Tina Smith
MN
D
Y
Debbie Stabenow
MI
D
Y
Jon Tester
MT
D
Y
Tom Udall
NM
D
Y
Chris Van Hollen
MD
D
Y
Mark Warner
VA
D
Y
Elizabeth Warren
MA
D
Y
Sheldon Whitehouse
RI
D
Y
Ron Wyden
OR
D
Y
Angus King
ME
I
Y
Bernie Sanders
VT
I
Y
Lamar Alexander
TN
R
Y
John Barrasso
WY
R
N
Roy Blunt
MO
R
Y
John Boozman
AR
R
Y
Richard Burr
NC
R
Y
Shelley Moore Capito
WV
R
Y
Bill Cassidy
LA
R
Y
Susan Collins
ME
R
Y
Bob Corker
TN
R
Y
John Cornyn
TX
R
Y
Tom Cotton
AR
R
N
Mike Crapo
ID
R
Y
Ted Cruz
TX
R
Y
Steve Daines
MT
R
Y
Michael Enzi
WY
R
N
Joni Ernst
IA
R
Y
Deb Fischer
NE
R
Y
Jeff Flake
AZ
R
N
Cory Gardner
CO
R
Y
Lindsey Graham
SC
R
Y
Chuck Grassley
IA
R
N
Orrin Hatch
UT
R
Y
Dean Heller
NV
R
Y
John Hoeven
ND
R
Y
Cindy Hyde-Smith
MS
R
Y
James Inhofe
OK
R
Y
Johnny Isakson
GA
R
Y
Ron Johnson
WI
R
N
John Kennedy
LA
R
N
Jon Kyl
AZ
R
N
James Lankford
OK
R
Y
Mike Lee
UT
R
N
Mitch McConnell
KY
R
Y
Jerry Moran
KS
R
Y
Lisa Murkowski
AK
R
N
Rand Paul
KY
R
N
David Perdue
GA
R
Y
Rob Portman
OH
R
Y
Jim Risch
ID
R
Y
Pat Roberts
KS
R
Y
Mike Rounds
SD
R
Y
Marco Rubio
FL
R
N
Ben Sasse
NE
R
Y
Tim Scott
SC
R
Y
Richard Shelby
AL
R
Y
Dan Sullivan
AK
R
Y
John Thune
SD
R
Y
Thom Tillis
NC
R
Y
Pat Toomey
PA
R
N
Roger Wicker
MS
R
Y
Todd Young
IN
R
Y