Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Sen Wyden and Smith vote against reform of the farm bill

SENATORS WASTE THEIR BEST CHANCE FOR COMPREHENSIVE REFORM OF THE FARM BILL

Bread for the World Praises Thirty-Seven Senators Who Took a Bold Stand for Hungry People and Farmers of Modest Means; Urges Support for Grassley-Dorgan and other Reform and Nutrition Amendments

(Both Wyden and Smith voted NO - please ask politely that they explain there votes)

WASHINGTON— This afternoon, 37 senators supported reform of the outdated commodity payment system which would have saved billions of dollars to invest in nutrition programs, specialty crop programs, critical conservation initiatives and the McGovern-Dole international school feeding program by supporting the Lugar-Lautenberg Amendment to the farm bill. The amendment failed by a vote of 58 to 37.

Statement by Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World

Today the Senate wasted their best opportunity to create a food and farm policy that supports hungry people in this country and farmers of modest means. Instead, they showed that they were more interested in supporting an outdated system of commodity payments that primarily benefits a relatively small number of wealthy farms.

People of faith and conscience moved the conversation in a serious way this year. Constituents, even those from farm states, wanted reform of this depression-era system.

And while we are disappointed by the failure of the Lugar-Lautenberg Amendment, there are still some important amendments before the Senate. We will especially be watching to see if senators do the right thing by passing the Dorgan-Grassley Amendment. By placing a hard cap on commodity payments at $250,000 per household, they will save money to redirect to nutrition and conservation programs.

Even if they make this change, the Senate still has a huge issue to solve—finding secure funding for all their nutrition increases. In 2012, money will have to be found to make these changes permanent or nutrition benefits to millions of working families will be lost. The question then: When will they have the courage to finally take the money from the obvious source, an outdated, outmoded commodity payment program?

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 110th Congress - 1st Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Amendment (Lugar Amdt. No. 3711 )
Vote Number:
417
Vote Date:
December 11, 2007, 03:46 PM

Required For Majority:
1/2
Vote Result:
Amendment Rejected

Amendment Number:
S.Amdt. 3711 to S.Amdt. 3500 to H.R. 2419 (Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007)
Statement of Purpose:
Relative to traditional payments and loans.

Vote Counts:
YEAs
37

NAYs
58

Not Voting
5

Vote Summary
By Senator Name
By Vote Position
By Home State
Alphabetical by Senator Name
Akaka (D-HI), Nay Alexander (R-TN), Nay Allard (R-CO), Yea Barrasso (R-WY), Yea Baucus (D-MT), Nay Bayh (D-IN), Nay Bennett (R-UT), Nay Biden (D-DE), Not Voting Bingaman (D-NM), Nay Bond (R-MO), Nay Boxer (D-CA), Yea Brown (D-OH), Yea Brownback (R-KS), Nay Bunning (R-KY), Yea Burr (R-NC), Nay Byrd (D-WV), Nay Cantwell (D-WA), Nay Cardin (D-MD), Yea Carper (D-DE), Yea Casey (D-PA), Yea Chambliss (R-GA), Nay Clinton (D-NY), Not Voting Coburn (R-OK), Nay Cochran (R-MS), Nay Coleman (R-MN), Nay Collins (R-ME), Yea Conrad (D-ND), Nay Corker (R-TN), Nay Cornyn (R-TX), Nay Craig (R-ID), Nay Crapo (R-ID), Nay DeMint (R-SC), Yea Dodd (D-CT), Not Voting Dole (R-NC), Nay
Domenici (R-NM), Yea Dorgan (D-ND), Nay Durbin (D-IL), Yea Ensign (R-NV), Yea Enzi (R-WY), Yea Feingold (D-WI), Nay Feinstein (D-CA), Yea Graham (R-SC), Nay Grassley (R-IA), Nay Gregg (R-NH), Yea Hagel (R-NE), Yea Harkin (D-IA), Nay Hatch (R-UT), Nay Hutchison (R-TX), Nay Inhofe (R-OK), Nay Inouye (D-HI), Nay Isakson (R-GA), Nay Johnson (D-SD), Nay Kennedy (D-MA), Yea Kerry (D-MA), Yea Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay Kohl (D-WI), Nay Kyl (R-AZ), Yea Landrieu (D-LA), Nay Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Nay Levin (D-MI), Nay Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea Lincoln (D-AR), Nay Lott (R-MS), Nay Lugar (R-IN), Yea Martinez (R-FL), Nay McCain (R-AZ), Not Voting McCaskill (D-MO), Nay .


Click Here to Read More!