Senate's Sweet Tooth and Tobacco Fix: Farm Bills Produce Strange Bedfellows

Perhaps more than any other bills, the Farm Bill and the NDAA are always great at illuminating the hypocrisy of our elected officials, particularly regarding their trumpeting of "fiscal responsibility," and the farm bill is especially fascinating in its production of strange bedfellows as regional identities sometimes trump ideologies.

I've written two diaries about the farm bill so far, highlighting the noble but failed efforts of Kirsten Gillibrand to restore SNAP funding and of Bernie Sanders to guarantee states the ability to pass GMO labeling laws.  Both of those bills were voted down by large margins, with many oft-progressive senators unfortunately voting against them.

However, now, I thought it would be fun to focus on some of the examples of "strange bedfellow" bills.

Today, the Senate voted on Diane Feinstein's amendment "to prohibit the payment by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation of any portion of the premium for a policy or plan of insurance for tobacco." In other words, our tax dollars shouldn't be subsidizing a product whose dangers to individual and public health the Surgeon General outlined almost five decades ago and which is the leading cause of preventable illness in the country.

DiFi's amendment failed 44-52.  30 Democrats, 1 Independent, and 13 Republicans voted in favor, and 20 Democrats, 31 Republicans, and 1 Independent voted against.

The 13 YEA's of the Republican Caucus:
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)
Dan Coats (R-IN)
Susan Collins (R-ME)
Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Dean Heller (R-NV)
Ron Johnson (R-WI)
Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Mike Lee (R-UT)
John McCain (R-AZ)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Jim Risch (R-ID)
Pat Toomey (R-PA)

The 32 YEA's of the Democratic Caucus:
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Tom Carper (D-DE)
Bob Casey (D-PA)
Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Diane Feinstein (D-CA)
Al Franken (D-MN)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
Bob Menendez (D-NJ)
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Brian Schatz (D-HI)
Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Mark Udall (D-CO)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Republican NAY's (i.e. those who want to continue subsidizing tobacco)
Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
John Barrasso (R-WY)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
John Boozman (R-AR)
Richard Burr (R-NC)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Bob Corker (R-TN)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Mike Enzi (R-WY)
Deb Fischer (R-NE)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
John Hoeven (R-ND)
Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Mike Johanns (R-NE)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Rand Paul (R-KY)
Rob Portman (R-OH)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Tim Scott (R-SC)
Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
John Thune (R-SD)
David Vitter (R-LA)
Roger Wicker (R-MS)

And the 20 NAY's of the Democratic Caucus:
Max Baucus (D-MT)
Mark Begich (D-AK)
Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Chris Coones (D-DE)
Mo Cowan (D-MA)
Joe Donnelly (D-IN)
Kay Hagan (D-NC)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)
Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Angus King (I-ME)
Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Pat Leahy (D-VT)
Chris Murphy (D-CT)
Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Jon Tester (D-MT)
Mark Warner (D-VA)

The top 10 tobacco-producing states are NC, KY, VA, TN, SC, GA, PA, OH, CT, and IN.  However, that can't really explain the cross-over votes. Both PA Senators voted for it, the two CT Dems split, and in Indiana the Republican voted against it.
Now to the Senate's sweet tooth.

Yesterday, Jeanne Shaheen offered an amendment to reform the federal sugar program. Because of the import restrictions, production limitations, and price supports in place to protect domestic sugar producers (e.g. cane sugar and sugar beets) from the world market, sugar in the U.S. is about twice the price of what it is in other countries.  The USDA was recently considering purchasing 400,000 tons of sugar to boost market prices and then selling the sugar to domestic ethanol producers--likely at a loss of $80 million.

Shaheen's amendment, which had received cross-the-aisle sponsorship from Pat Toomey and Mark Kirk, failed 45-54. 20 Democrats and 25 Republicans voted in favor.   32 Democrats, 2 Independents, and 20 Republicans voted no.

The 25 Republican YEA's:
Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
John Boozman (R-AR)
Dan Coats (R-IN)
Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Susan Collins (R-ME)
Bob Corker (R-TN)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Dean Heller (R-NV)
Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
Ron Johnson (R-WI)
Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Mike Lee (R-UT)
John McCain (R-AZ)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Rand Paul (R-KY)
Rob Portman (R-OH)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Tim Scott (R-SC)
Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Pat Toomey (R-PA)

The 20 Democratic YEA's
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Tom Carper (D-DE)
Bob Casey (D-PA)
Chris Coons (D-DE)
Mo Cowan (D-MA)
Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Diane Feinstein (D-CA)
Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
Bob Menendez (D-NJ)
Chris Murphy (D-CT)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Mark Warner (D-VA)
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

The 20 Republican NAY's
Barrasso (R-WY)
Richard Burr (R-NC)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Mike Enzi (R-WY)
Deb Fischer (R-NE)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
John Hoeven (R-ND)
Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Mike Johanns (R-NE)
Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Jim Risch (R-ID)
Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
John Thune (R-SD)
David Vitter (R-LA)
Roger Wicker (R-MS)

34 YEA's of the Democratic Caucus:
Max Baucus (D-MT)
Mark Begich (D-AK)
Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Joe Donnelly (D-IN)
Al Franken (D-MN)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Kay Hagan (D-NC)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)
Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Angus King (I-ME)
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Pat Leahy (D-VT)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Brian Schatz (D-HI)
Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Jon Tester (D-MT)
Mark Udall (D-CO)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)

In the U.S., sugar beets are grown in California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.  Sugar cane is big in Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Texas.

Farm bills always reveal hypocrisy on two fronts; they show how hollow the talk of "fiscal responsibility" always is, and they show how although the U.S. encourages neoliberal reforms on agriculture in developing countries, it remains protectionist at home.