Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and Tulsi Gabbard joined fellow Democrats and Republicans today in defeating the farm bill.

The defeat leaves up in the air subsidies for Hawaii sugar farmers, which are also contained in the bill. However, Congress has until the end of the fiscal year in September to figure out a compromise before the subsidies run out.

Hanabusa said she opposed the overall bill on a number of grounds, but most importantly because it called for deep cuts in the the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.  “Nearly two-thirds of SNAP recipients are children, elderly or disabled – and most of the SNAP families with children, who are able, are working,” Hanabusa said.

— Kery Murakami