The House voted 198-213 Friday to reject the Agriculture and Nutrition Act (H.R. 2), also known as the Farm Bill. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) filed a motion for a re-vote at a time to be determined.
Thirty Republican members voted against the bill, reportedly due in large part to disagreements between the House Freedom Caucus and Republican leadership on the issue of immigration. Freedom Caucus chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC) said to reporters Thursday that the Freedom Caucus members wanted a vote on immigration before a vote on the farm bill. If the immigration vote was not brought up before the farm bill vote, Freedom Caucus members were to vote against the farm bill.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) promised Meadows weeks ago that leadership would bring up a vote on an immigration compromise “in June.”
If Speaker Ryan’s motion for a re-vote ends with another defeat for the bill, the Agriculture committee would have to begin making changes and the legislative process would restart within the committee.
Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) announced this week that the markup for his committee’s version of the farm bill will be announced sometime next week.
