Rep. Tom Reed voted Wednesday in support of a long-term, five-year Farm Bill to reauthorize farm programs supporting agriculture in New York’s 23rd Congressional District. The bill passed the House Wednesday with strong bipartisan support.
What Tom neglects to say is that there weren’t enough Republican yes votes to have passed the bill.
“Thanks in no small part to the input from local farmers and the hard work of the committee, I am very pleased to announce Congress came to a bipartisan agreement that cares for the needs of our farmers – the backbone of our economy,” Reed said. “Passage of a long-term plan for farmers is long overdue and it is only fair we provide them with certainty so they can make decisions for their businesses.”
Long overdue indeed, but Tom doesn’t mention the divisive struggle between GOP factions that made it two years late.
Reed says the Farm Bill is well-suited for the needs of the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes, pointing to the increased support for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, expanded access to crop insurance to protect farmers against weather and natural disasters, and important reforms to diary programs to ensure support for their industry.
“Not only have we achieved a five-year Farm Bill but we have reformed and consolidated broken and outdated programs, strengthened the priorities of our region and worked toward our goal of reducing the deficit,” Reed continued. “This bill is proof that we can care for farmers across the region and country so they can help grow our economy while saving taxpayer dollars by making effective programs more efficient.”
While Tom fails to mention the elephant, SNAP, his comment on saving taxpayer dollars is a veiled note of his approval of callus cuts to SNAP.
A vote in the Senate on the bill is expected next week. Leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees said they hope to see the President sign the bill into law quickly.
Great, Congress is two years late, and Tom dares take a poke at President Obama who can’t sign the bill until Congress enacts it. President Obama is unlikely to veto this bill if the Senate passes it, but maybe he should; he could reasonably insist that SNAP funding be restored and welfare for agribusiness be cut.
© William Hungerford – January 2014
http://reed.house.gov/press-release/reed-announces-passage-five-year-farm-bill
New NY 23rd 
Here’s the title of today’s NY Times editorial on this legislation: “The Farm Bill Could Have Been Worse.” When Democrats recapture the House, we’ll have better headlines than that. Electing Martha Robertson in New York’s 23d will be a major step toward that goal.
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In this case, Tom voted as moderate Republican, joining party leaders and Democrats rather than the Republican right wing. From Tom’s sunny acceptance of the compromise, one might think he had never opposed any provision of this bill.
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My goodness, I had no idea this district’s economy had so many backbones. According to Tom Reed’s speeches, the farming industry, gas production, and small businesses are all backbones, and priority(s) number one.
He must be breathing a sigh of relief that the Farm bill compromise will mostly likely fly. He has already cashed in with the Tea Party/ Conservative crowd by bragging about cutting SNAP, and more people remember the rhetoric, than seem to notice the vote, (unless it directly affects them).
Have the dairy and wine industries in NY 23rd commented in any public way on the House bill?
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In a press release Dec 20, 2012: ” Manufacturing is the backbone of our economy and an essential part of our economic recovery.”
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One significant thing about the farm bill compromise is that once again Speaker Boehner had to turn his back on his right-wing colleagues to do a deal with Democrats.
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🙂
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