Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), a longtime champion for the poor from one of the nation’s most prosperous farm states, said in a statement that “compared to the draconian cuts” sought by House Republicans, the negotiated change is “a dramatic improvement, particularly because it wouldn’t cut anyone from the program.”
Other liberal senators, including Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), signaled Wednesday that a higher level of cuts would force them to vote against the entire bill. Reed said he “would be very upset” if the cuts are included, while Gillibrand described the plan as “the wrong approach.”
Needy families receiving food aid “didn’t spend our nation into debt and we shouldn’t tighten the federal belt around their waists,” she said in a statement. In New York, Gillibrand said, nearly 300,000 families would lose about $90 in monthly assistance. “That’s the last week of groceries for the month,” she said.
Democratic aides said that lawmakers from Northeastern and Western states with large urban areas might also vote against the final bill.
Aides familiar with the negotiations said the most significant unresolved issue is whether to end price controls on the dairy industry, which Republicans argue have cost taxpayers billions of dollars and needlessly drive up the cost of milk, cheese and yogurt.