45th District Representative Mimi Walters (R-Irvine) has once again voted against children, casting a yes vote to pass H.R. 2, known as the Farm Bill, which, among other thing, strips all funding from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Walters voted for the Trump Tax Bill, which gave trillion dollar tax cut to the top 1% and a windfall to corporations.
The bill passed 213-211 with 20 Republicans voting no. All Democrats voted no.
Notable no votes were:
| Biggs, Andy | AZ 5th | ||
| Nay | R | McClintock, Tom | CA 4th |
| Nay | R | Rohrabacher, Dana | CA 48th |
| Nay | R | Gaetz, Matt | FL 1st |
| Nay | R | Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana | FL 27th |
| Nay | R | Massie, Thomas | KY 4th |
| Nay | R | Amash, Justin | MI 3rd |
| Vote | Party | Representative | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nay | R | Upton, Fred | MI 6th |
| Nay | R | LoBiondo, Frank | NJ 2nd |
| Nay | R | Smith, Chris | NJ 4th |
| Nay | R | Lance, Leonard | NJ 7th |
| Nay | R | Frelinghuysen, Rodney | NJ 11th |
| Nay | R | King, Pete | NY 2nd |
| Nay | R | Katko, John | NY 24th |
| Vote | Party | Representative | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nay | R | Jones, Walter | NC 3rd |
| Nay | R | Fitzpatrick, Brian | PA 8th |
| Nay | R | Rothfus, Keith | PA 12th |
| Nay | R | Sanford, Mark | SC 1st |
| Nay | R | Duncan, John | TN 2nd |
| Nay | R | Garrett, Thomas | VA 5th |
Since 1925, the Farm Bill has reflected a bipartisan commitment to healthy, affordable, and environmentally-sound farming practices. This bill is opposite of that.
The Farm Bill should ensure the country continues to have a robust agriculture sector, as well as ensure that Americans have access to locally-sourced and nutritious food. This bill is the opposite of that.
This year’s Farm Bill gutted three critical pillars: it strips funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), loosens environmental regulations, and weakens animal protections.
After voting to give the wealthiest in America a huge tax cut, Walters’ voted to strip $23.3 billion from the SNAP program, which would leave an estimated one million households with little to no food assistance.
Walters also voted to loosen environmental regulations by allowing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to approve pesticides without undertaking reviews that are currently required by the Endangered Species Act, potentially leading to the harm or disruption of many endangered species, and possibly the contamination of waterways.
Finally Walters voted for a provision that would prohibit state and local governments from imposing production standards stricter than federal law on out-of-state agricultural products. This last provision would nullify numerous state and local laws covering everything from animal cruelty to food safety to local agriculture, including the cage-free eggs law that we passed in Massachusetts in 2016. This is a clear infringement upon states’ rights and a step backwards with health and safety standards.
These dramatic changes were reflected in the fact that not a single Democrat on the Agriculture Committee nor in the entire House of Representatives voted for the bill.
