Rep. Davidson Issues Statement on Farm Bill’s Failure to Pass House

WASHINGTON, May 18 -- Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, issued the following statement on the failure of the Agriculture and Nutrition Act or the farm bill (H.R. 2) to pass the House:

"I had hoped to support this Farm Bill because I believe the reforms in place are good directionally for our country. Reforms like adding work requirements to SNAP will help the millions of able-bodied adults trapped in government dependency transition back into full-time employment. With a strong economy and low unemployment we should see a decrease in welfare spending not an increase. Every dollar spent on able-bodied, working-age adults takes resources away from the truly needy and other important programs.

"I am pleased to see further reforms put in place that strengthen market-oriented crop insurance programs which are important to farmers in Ohio's Eighth District. While I support the overall reforms in this Farm Bill, I do have concerns about the $899 billion it spends.

"Finally, I was disappointed that the farming programs and nutrition assistance programs were not considered separately and on their own merits. As a result, 80 percent of the cost of the farm bill is unrelated to farming."