Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Agriculture Committee leaders expressed support for the farm bill as the House voted to reject a contentious amendment aimed at reducing sugar prices. This amendment, characterized by Agriculture Chairman K. Michael Conaway as a 'poison pill,' posed a serious threat to the farm bill's passage by potentially harming family farmers and impacting the sugar support program. While its defeat was seen as a relief, the broader farm bill may still face challenges, particularly related to immigration issues and opposition from conservative factions.
The 137-to-278 vote followed heated debate on the House floor, with the amendment's supporters attacking a 'Soviet-style' support system propping up sugar prices.
Agriculture Chairman K. Michael Conaway described the sugar amendment as a 'poison pill' in his effort to pass the broader farm bill.
Conaway warned that it puts Republicans who represent rural America in a really difficult spot to vote for a farm bill that goes after one of the commodities.
The sugar measure would have begun to dismantle the sugar support program, eliminating production limits for U.S. growers and opening the door for more imports.
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