The House on Thursday narrowly defeated a measure that would have overhauled the federal sugar support system, which opponents have labeled a “bailout program.”
In a 137-278 vote, lawmakers voted against attaching the sugar reform measure to the 2018 Agriculture and Nutrition Act, an $867 billion bill authorizing farm programs and policy, as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program otherwise, known as food stamps.
The sugar provision would have ended restrictions on the domestic production and sale of refined sugar, which has kept the price of sugar artificially high. The measure also would have phased out supply management policies.
Republican leaders, including Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, R-Texas, opposed the amendment and said it jeopardized passage of the overall bill.
But sponsor Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., said the federal sugar program “is decidedly bad policy that is long overdue to be corrected.”
Foxx said the program “puts the government in charge of how much sugar will be produced in this country which inflates the cost,” which costs jobs.
Foxx’s provision had widespread support, particularly from conservative groups and soda and candy producers, but staunch opposition from sugar producers, which lobbied against it.
Conaway said the Foxx provision singles out sugar and “denigrates the hard-working men and women” in the sugar industry. “Her amendment would not save the taxpayer one dime.”
Conaway said the program protects sugar manufacturers “from unfair competition from around the world” and “works year in and year out” to protect farmers.
The issue divided lawmakers within each party.
Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., who backed the measure, said the sugar program “distorted the market for too long” and hurts trade negotiations.
But Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, the ranking Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, opposed it, arguing it would hurt sugar producers.
“This is an amendment that is not needed,” Peterson said. “The reason we have this program is to protect ourselves from other countries who subsidize sugar more than the United States.”
Foxx said she plans to vote for the overall farm bill regardless of whether it includes the amendment, and that is likely the case for most lawmakers.
The defeat of the sugar amendment eliminates one hurdle in the GOP’s effort to pass the farm bill, but passage is still uncertain.
Most Democrats are expected to vote “no” on the bill because of a provision to bolster work requirements in the food stamp program.
But some conservatives may vote against the bill to protest the cost of farm subsidies or because they did not win approval for individual amendments.
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who heads the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said the GOP lacks enough votes to pass the bill, but GOP leaders will not confirm his claim.
