U.S. Senator James Lankford was one of the eleven no votes in the Senate on the latest iteration of the Farm Bill. The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 passed Thursday by a vote of 86-11.
Lankford said, of course, he supports agriculture in Oklahoma, but has a very good reason for voting against the measure.
“I strongly support the important work of our farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma. Our families in Oklahoma, around the country, and the world have good, healthy food to eat and clothes to wear because of their hard work and relentless toil. The farm bill has a nice-sounding name—the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018—but the bill doesn’t make real improvements to our federal agriculture policy. To protect the long-term health and efficiency of agriculture policy, and the families who need nutritional assistance, real reforms are needed, which is why I offered several amendments to the bill. My hope is that a conference committee between the House and the Senate will improve this bill by enacting real reforms to its provisions on SNAP, conservation programs, and energy.
“The greatest challenge facing our Oklahoma agriculture community is the uncertainty around our international trade agreements and rapid fluctuations in commodity prices. Programs in the farm bill cannot make up for the harm that can be inflicted by trade actions that jeopardize our global markets. We must get serious about concluding ongoing trade negotiations and pursue new deals in emerging markets as soon as possible for Oklahoma’s farmers and ranchers,” said Lankford in a statement after the vote.
His four amendments did not receive a vote as the bill was making its way through the Senate. It now goes to conference where Senate and House members will hash out a final bill.
