Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)
The U.S. Senate has passed a five-year farm bill. The measure now heads to what will almost certainly be a contentious negotiating process with members of the House.
“Wisconsin farmers are a key driver of our agriculture economy and rural communities,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin. The Wisconsin Democrat voted for the package, and said it included several provisions that she authored.
Today I was proud to vote for the bipartisan #FarmBill18 that does right by our Wisconsin farmers. I’ve worked for strong investments & reforms in this legislation to support our hardworking farmers, and ensure they have the tools to be successful and move our state #Forward.
— Sen. Tammy Baldwin (@SenatorBaldwin) June 28, 2018
Wisconsin Republican, Senator Ron Johnson, voted against the bill. “While the bill voted on today included many worthy provisions, it failed to take even small steps to reform runaway government spending on programs that have little if anything to do with Wisconsin’s farm families.” Johnson said. He added that he hoped to be able to support a final, improved version.
The Senate passed its $428 billion bill on Thursday, on a 86-to-11 vote. The House version passed last week with no Democratic support. It imposes strict new work requirements on able-bodied adults seeking food stamps. The Senate version, which needed Democratic votes to pass, does not include major changes to food stamps.