In one fell swoop, U.S. House Democrats voted against DACA recipients, farmers, food stamps and even the environment, leaving them with one clear and concise platform: “Resist” and “Obstruct.”
The renewal of the so-called Farm Bill recently came to a vote and every U.S. House Democrat voted nay. Joined by 30 Republicans who call themselves the “Freedom Caucus,” the Farm Bill went down 213-198. Although much of America’s farming community leans Republican, only a portion of the legislative package deals with working the fields or cattle ranching.
“You know, 76 percent of this farm bill has nothing to do with farms,” Freedom Caucus chairman and North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows reportedly said. “When you look at that, 24 percent of it actually is about farms and supporting our farmers.”
Rep. Meadows is not spouting off fake news when he says that the Farm Bill is rife with social and environmental programs. But that begs the question: why would the radical left vote against issues such as Dreamers (again) and food stamps? The devil, as they say, is in the details.
Democrats Reject Environmental Programs
Although farm packages date back as far as the Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916, over the years they have been burdened with numerous side issues. In many ways, that has given the more than 100-year legislation bipartisan support.
During the Reagan Administration, for example, the legislation picked up environmental management elements like the Conservation Reserve Program. This and other programs are designed to subsidize farmland, so the soil can rejuvenate and native plant life can flourish. This program has been a bipartisan darling with the far left seeing environmental benefits and the right enjoying increased open lands for things like hunting and fishing.
Democrats Charge Windmills Over SNAP
Over the years, the legislation has been overburdened with side issues that are not centrist. Democrats negotiated the inclusion of the food stamps or “SNAP” program. Enrollment in SNAP has declined by more than 5 million since 2013, and the now-thriving economy is expected to cause even greater decline. But, Democrats want to hold on to recession funding levels, claiming the Republicans are taking food from children. In reality, this is nothing but optics.
The extreme left, led by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, cannot come to grips with the fact that unemployment is at a record low, and people are coming off government assistance. Republicans also want to reinstall work requirements now that the country is close to full employment. Prosperity spells bad news for liberals, and House Democrats would rather resist than approve appropriate funding levels. The current measure expires in September.
Democrats Betray Dreamers (Again)
The recent Farm Bill vote was politically coupled with immigration reform. That was a key reason the Freedom Caucus broke ranks.
The conservative group did not take it at face value that an immigration package acceptable to the president would see a floor vote. Were it not for every single Democrat voting against it, one might say they held the bill hostage. However, this presented yet another opportunity for Democrats to provide Dreamers a pathway to citizenship. Still claiming they are the Dreamers’ only hope, the left voted nay despite putting the DACA recipients in harm’s way.
As the end of the DACA program makes its way through the judicial system, many experts expect an abrupt end when it reaches the U.S. Supreme Court. After this and other rounds of DACA legislation, it has become abundantly clear that liberal politicians would rather have this as a campaign issue than make Dreamers citizens. Pres. Trump has already offered to sign legislation to help more than 1 million immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.
Every Democrat Voted Against Every Farmer
Although Rep. Meadows may be correct that the majority of the Farm Bill does not help farmers and ranchers, at least 24 percent does. Those portions help keep America’s growers afloat when global fluctuations cause produce to fall below viable market prices.
The heartland is just pulling out of a recession and staring down a potential tariff war with China and Mexico. This is no time to play political hopscotch with the heartland. Americans may want to remember that every Democrat voted against every American farmer and rancher.
~ Liberty Planet
