Cantor food stamp proposal not on House schedule; votes possible next week on CR, Syria
September 06, 2013 | 07:40 PM
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., did not include his proposal to cut $40 billion from food stamps in the House schedule for next week even though House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said before the congressional break that he expected the measure to come up in the first days of the session and that he would appoint farm bill conferees as soon as it was considered.
Cantor’s schedule includes a number of noncontroversial bills and also says that the House may vote on a continuing resolution to fund the government after September 30 and “possible consideration of an authorization for the limited and specific use of military force against the government of Syria to respond to the use of chemical weapons.”
Cantor and Boehner have both said they are likely to support a limited Syria resolution, but the idea is unpopular in rural America. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., said at a town hall meeting in Ponca City, Okla., on Thursday that he has not reached an “absolute” decision on how he will vote, but is not inclined to vote for it.
Many rural lawmakers including House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., signed a letter urging Obama to ask for congressional authorization.
A copy of the letter, which was organized by Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Va., may be found on the website of Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas. (See link below)
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a resolution authorizing military action on Wednesday.
The debate on Syria in the House could be more prolonged than in the Senate. While Boehner has said he would support action in Syria, he said that it will be the president's responsibility to convince enough members to vote for the measure to pass it.
“The speaker offered his support for the president’s call to action, and encourages all members of Congress to do the same,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement released Tuesday.
“Now, it is the president’s responsibility to make his case to the American people and their elected representatives,” Steel said. “Everyone understands that it is an uphill battle to pass a resolution, and the speaker expects the White House to provide answers to members’ questions and take the lead on any whipping effort. All votes authorizing the use of military force are conscience votes for members, and passage will require direct, continuous engagement from the White House.”
The typed names of all the signers may be found after the signatures at the bottom of the letter.
Cantor’s schedule includes a number of noncontroversial bills and also says that the House may vote on a continuing resolution to fund the government after September 30 and “possible consideration of an authorization for the limited and specific use of military force against the government of Syria to respond to the use of chemical weapons.”
Cantor and Boehner have both said they are likely to support a limited Syria resolution, but the idea is unpopular in rural America. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., said at a town hall meeting in Ponca City, Okla., on Thursday that he has not reached an “absolute” decision on how he will vote, but is not inclined to vote for it.
Many rural lawmakers including House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., signed a letter urging Obama to ask for congressional authorization.
A copy of the letter, which was organized by Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Va., may be found on the website of Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas. (See link below)
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a resolution authorizing military action on Wednesday.
The debate on Syria in the House could be more prolonged than in the Senate. While Boehner has said he would support action in Syria, he said that it will be the president's responsibility to convince enough members to vote for the measure to pass it.
“The speaker offered his support for the president’s call to action, and encourages all members of Congress to do the same,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement released Tuesday.
“Now, it is the president’s responsibility to make his case to the American people and their elected representatives,” Steel said. “Everyone understands that it is an uphill battle to pass a resolution, and the speaker expects the White House to provide answers to members’ questions and take the lead on any whipping effort. All votes authorizing the use of military force are conscience votes for members, and passage will require direct, continuous engagement from the White House.”
The typed names of all the signers may be found after the signatures at the bottom of the letter.
