GOP Farm Bill Fails in House - May Not Get a Another Vote Because Republicans Are Fighting About Immigration

House Republican leadership worked hard to be sure that the farm bill could pass without any Democratic votes. They failed. Democrats held firm against the bill, with its expansion of work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and even though the bill had been tailored to pass muster with far-right extremists and had Donald Trump’s support, 30 Republicans—many of them firmly in the extremist camp—voted against it. The final vote was 198 to 213. Now:

The future of the bill is uncertain. Republican leaders are discussing ways to bring it up again. A re-vote could hinge on whether GOP leaders agree to a vote on a controversial immigration bill that many Republican moderates oppose. Those members, many running for re-election in competitive districts, are pressing, instead, for a vote on a measure that gives a path to citizenship for children of undocumented workers.

So … the farm bill failed because Republicans are divided on immigration. Okay, then. And House Republican leaders still don’t know how to do a whip count.

As a reminder, so-called able-bodied adults without dependents already face work requirements to get food stamps for more than three months. Most people on the program are either children, elderly, have disabilities, are working, or have children in their households.