For Immediate Release:
August 4, 2020
In 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the final Farm Bill (369-47) that dictates most of the country’s agricultural and food programs until 2023. Former Congressman Jason Lewis was the only member of the Minnesota delegation–Republican or Democrat–to vote against the Farm Bill that provided a crucial lifeline and much-needed stability to Minnesota farmers, and included permanent funding for veteran, minority and beginning farmers.
Lewis voted for a Republican alternative Farm Bill that failed to pass, which would have kicked 400,000 households off of SNAP and reduced benefits for over one million people. But when it came to the time Minnesota farmers needed him most, Lewis put his rigid and unyielding views first and voted against passing the final, bipartisan Farm Bill. He voted against billions in aid, saving the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and legalizing hemp. The final Farm Bill passed the House by a vote of 369-47.
FACT: JASON LEWIS WAS THE ONLY MEMBER OF THE MINNESOTA DELEGATION–REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT–TO VOTE AGAINST THE FARM BILL
Lewis Was The Only Member From Minnesota Who Voted Against The Final 2018 Farm Bill. “U.S. Rep. Jason Lewis, a Republican, voted against the bill, though Minnesota’s other GOP lawmakers, U.S. Reps. Tom Emmer and Erik Paulsen, supported it.” [Star Tribune, 12/12/18; CQ, 12/12/18; H.R. 2, Roll Call 434, 12/12/18]
The Final Farm Bill Provided Permanent Funding For Veteran And Minority Farmers As Well As For Organizations Working To Train The Next Generation Of Farmers. “Provides permanent funding for farmers markets, local food programs. The final farm bill provides permanent funding for a number of programs Congress was funding on a temporary basis, five years at a time. These include: promotional funds for local farmers markets, research funds for organic farming, and money for organizations working to train the next generation of farmers at a time when experts have raised concerns about the aging of the industry. The bill also provides permanent funding for veteran and minority farmers.” [Washington Post, 12/12/18]