FreedomWorks Statement on Defeat of the Farm Bill

Washington, D.C. - FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon made the following statement after the House of Representatives voted against the Agriculture and Nutrition Act, H.R. 2, more commonly known as the “Farm Bill,” introduced by Rep. Michael Conaway (R-Texas):

“We were encouraged by the House Agriculture Committee’s willingness to take on welfare reform by implementing work requirements for food stamp recipients, but they failed to address free market concerns surrounding this bill.

“The work requirements came with a tenfold increase in spending on job training programs, essentially creating a new entitlement. The bill also failed to make substantive reforms to farm subsidy waste. Rather than helping struggling farmers, the bill would have allowed billionaires and those not actively engaged in farming to collect subsidies.

“Many amendments were offered to address these issues, but were denied a debate on the floor by the House Rules Committee. We now have an opportunity to finally address these issues in an open and honest manner.”