Farm Bill voted down, Montana lawmakers upset

Montana delegation blasts farm bill failure

HELENA (AP) — The Montana congressional delegation is blasting the House for failing to advance a farm bill.

The House rejected its version of a half-trillion-dollar farm bill on Thursday amid wrangling over food stamp cuts. The Senate overwhelmingly passed its version of the bill last week.

Freshman U.S. Rep. Steve Daines called the bill's failure "unacceptable."

He voted for House legislation he called "long overdue," and said it still needs to be passed.

U.S. Sen. Max Baucus says the House should vote on the full Senate version of the bill since it hasn't been able to advance its own version two years in a row. The Democrat called the House "irresponsible."

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester says, "It's high time for the House to get on board" and support Montana's No. 1 industry.