Thursday’s failure of the farm bill in the U.S. House of Representatives came as a surprise. The measure made significant cuts to the food-stamp program. But it was not enough for some Republicans, and too much for some Democrats.
Congressman Rodney Davis, a Republican from Taylorville, says he still thinks there’s an opportunity for a compromise, rather than the short-term fix Congress put together last-year.
"Because frankly, I think a short-term bill and another extension is just not politically feasible, nor (should it) be. We need to actually have Republicans and Democrats working together to put a common-sense solution to deal with our food and nutrition programs and our agricultural economy."
Until a few days ago, there seemed to be bipartisan support for the farm bill. But several last-minute changes, including tougher work requirements for people getting food assistance, led many Democrats to vote no. The Senate already passed a different version of the farm bill with votes from both sides of the aisle, but that's never been called for a vote in the House.