House overwhelmingly passes farm bill, without tighter work requirements favored by Trump

In a sign that bipartisan agreement remains possible in Washington as Congress barrels towards a possible government shutdown over border wall funding, the House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a new bipartisan farm bill -- a massive legislative package that reauthorizes agriculture programs and food aid -- by a comfortable 369-47 margin.

But the bill lacks tighter work requirements for food stamp recipients, a Trump-backed provision of the previous House farm bill that became a major sticking point during negotiations. Republicans had pushed to mandate job training for those receiving the federal benefits, but the Senate rejected the idea.

The farm bill measure is the result of months of negotiations by lawmakers. It does not make any significant changes to the food stamp program that serves nearly 40 million low-income Americans. The bill reauthorizes agriculture and conservation programs, funds trade programs, expands support for struggling dairy farmers and legalizes the cultivation of industrial hemp.

The legislation already passed the Senate on Tuesday and is now headed to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it. The Senate vote for the bill was 87-13.

Prior to the Senate vote on Tuesday, GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said tackling the farm bill may ease spending negotiations as a possible government shutdown looms. McConnell brought the bill up for a quick vote, less than one day after the House and Senate reached an agreement on the final text.