Kansas representatives vote against farm bill ; Legislators cite missed opportunities, food stamp policy in ‘no’ votes

All four Republican U.S. House members from Kansas -- a state that banks on the economic firepower of crop and livestock production -- voted against a compromise farm bill that preserves most crop subsidies and delivers a cut in food stamps.

The legislation earmarking annual beneficiaries of about $100 billion from the federal government passed the House with bipartisan support and was expected to be adopted by the U.S. Senate and signed into law by President Barack Obama.

That glide path belies the highly partisan two-year process of writing a bill that would continue to assist major crop producers while moving the farm economy toward insurance programs rather than direct subsidies. The bill would reduce by 1 percent allocations to the $80 billion food stamp program -- far less than the cut sought by the House.

U.S. Reps. Lynn Jenkins, Tim Huelskamp, Kevin Yoder and Mike Pompeo cast votes against the legislation, and U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., declared opposition to the measure in the Senate.

Huelskamp, the 1st District representative and a fifth- generation farmer living in Hutchinson, said the bill improperly allowed urban food stamp policy to undermine formation of national agriculture policy.

He said food stamp spending had doubled in five years and consumed 80 percent of spending in the farm bill.

"Instead of status quo in this the fastest-growing welfare program in the entire government, we should have taken the opportunity to provide meaningful work reform requirements, especially for able-bodied adults, as we passed in the U.S. House," he said.

Jim Sherow, a former Manhattan mayor and likely Democratic candidate for the 1st District seat in the House, said Huelskamp's penchant for irritating GOP leadership and his ouster from the House Agriculture Committee left Kansans without an important voice in farm bill negotiations.

"Rep. Huelskamp votes with his principles," Sherow said. "The problem is that farmers can't plant ideology in their soil, and they can't put it on the table for dinner. Rep. Huelskamp has left Kansas farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness men and women without a voice on this crucial piece of legislation."

Jenkins, who serves Topeka and the 2nd District, said the five- year farm bill embraced by the House missed opportunities to provide stability to folks producing food, fuel and fiber in the U.S. The bill cost taxpayers too much and failed to initiate significant regulatory reform, she said.

"I did not expect to make easy decisions when I came to Washington," she said. "There are many good provisions which I support in this legislation, but unfortunately, the negatives outweigh the positives. Kansans know that this bill not only impacts our farmers and ranchers, but every single American family."

She said the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would save taxpayers $16 billion over the next decade. The House version of the farm bill targeted $40 billion in savings, she said.

Roberts, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said he was the only senator on the farm bill conference committee to refuse to sign the agreement prior to the House vote.

"It all comes down to this simple question: Does the new farm bill improve agriculture and America?" Roberts said. "I believe the answer is, unfortunately, no."

"We should not march backwards and pass a farm bill with more government subsidies, more regulations and more waste. How on earth did we get to this point?" he said.

Yoder, who holds down the 3rd District dominated by Johnson and Wyandotte counties, said he worked as vice chairman of the House agriculture subcommittee on appropriations to craft a bill to fix "many bloated and intrusive farm programs while fixing a badly broken food stamp program."

"Unfortunately, the final bill did not go far enough," he said. "It was not a compromise, but a bill loved by groups who want to spend money we don't have. Simply, we could've done better."

Former state Sen. Kelly Kultala, who is a Democratic candidate for Congress in the 3rd District, which is represented by Yoder, said she was disappointed with the congressman's decision.

"It is yet another example of Yoder putting politics before Kansas," she said. "The new farm bill is far from perfect and I personally have many issues with it, but because it was so long overdue and so important to Kansas' economy I find it appalling that Congressman Yoder opposed the bill."