On Friday, May 18, the House of Representatives voted down the Farm Bill, H.R.2, by a vote on 198-213.

Democrats voted against the bill as a block primarily because of the new requirements for SNAP recipients (with additional objections raised to the gutting of conservation programs and the removal of the few existing limits on subsidies for rich mega-farms).  They were joined by 30 Republicans.  Some moderate Republicans raised concerns over the SNAP provisions, while the House Freedom Caucus voted against the bill because the Speaker wouldn’t bring their preferred immigration reform bill to the floor before the Farm Bill vote.

The Speaker is planning to bring the bill back to the floor for reconsideration on June 22, after a vote on the Goodlatte-McCall immigration bill.

In the meantime, the focus has shifted to the Senate, which has already begun working on its own version of the bill.  Look for an action alert coming soon.