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The House Agriculture Committee passed out a draft of the five-year farm bill reauthorization Wednesday afternoon after several hours of contentious debate as Democrats sought to roll back harsh new rules on work requirements that could kick millions, including families with children or elderly members, out of the program. It nonetheless passed on a party-line vote.
"This legislation would create giant, untested bureaucracies at the state level. It cuts more than $9 billion in benefits and rolls those savings into state slush funds where they can use the money to operate other aspects of SNAP," said Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, top Democrat on the panel. "Let me be clear: this bill, as currently written, kicks people off the SNAP program."
The bill also takes gratuitous aim at immigrant and refugee communities—even though there really isn’t a scourge of this practice happening, anywhere—banning the slaughter of dogs and cats for human food and making the practice a federal offense, punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of $2,500. Even Republicans found this a little ridiculous.
Rep. Al Lawson (D-Fla.) asked if people are really eating cats and dogs.
“Mr. [Steve] King is the only one who tells me people do that in his district,” Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), who introduced the amendment, joked. […]
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) pointed out that there are traditions in other countries where people eat cats and dogs. While he said he doesn’t personally condone that, he finds it “a little tough” to send offenders to prison.
King (R-Iowa) also voted against the amendment, saying he thought the federal sentence went too far.
Think about this: Steve King thought it went too far. It passed on a voice vote, anyway.