When something good is done for the wrong reason, is it still considered a good thing? The Farm Bill was defeated in the House of Representatives on May 17, which is a good thing for those people relying on SNAP (the food stamp program). The bill added prohibitive requirements for food supplement recipients as part of Paul Ryan’s desire for cuts to safety net programs.
This bill was defeated because all 30 members of the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus voted no in order to use this bill as a bargaining chip to prevent movement on a compromise that would take the “Dreamers” out of limbo with a bipartisan immigration policy.
Let me be clear. Congress is not going to take meals from hungry children and our elderly, at least for now, because the bill is being used as ransom to prevent any movement on resolving the future of our “Dreamers.”
Is this the best we can expect? If we keep settling for this obstructionist action from our elected officials, then shame on us. We must vote in upcoming primaries and in November. Let’s make sure we vote for candidates who will make the right choices for Utah for the right reasons.
Judy Garcia Parker, Salt Lake City
