The House of Representatives defeated the Farm Bill yesterday in a 195-234 vote. The vote totals you see below came from the clerk.house.gov:
House vote on Farm Bill
| Ayes | Noes | Present | NV | |
| Republicans | 171 | 62 | 0 | 1 |
| Democrats | 24 | 172 | 0 | 5 |
| Inependents | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 195 | 234 | 0 | 6 |
What's astonishing is that 171 Republicans voted for it -- that's the party that we hoped would champion fiscal responsibility with more than lip service. But you can't keep prolific porkers down.
Chris Edwards has fun with it at The GOP, the Farm Bill, and Cognitive Dissonance where he takes quotes from some Republican Representatives' websites where they boast about how fiscally responsible they are. Our own Mike Conaway is in there. He wanted the farm bill passed, but here's what he says at his website:
Our nation is in a budgetary crisis. Last year, the federal government borrowed about 40 percent of all the money it spent. And today, our national debt stands at more than $16 trillion, with more than $5 trillion added in the past four years.
As a CPA and fiscal conservative, I am committed to working with my colleagues to cut spending and put our fiscal house in order. Congress does not have a blank check; it is vitally important that we balance the federal budget.
By "we" he must mean "someone else." So you can expect a return of the farm bill.
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