GOP Food Aid Cuts Fail to Clear Procedural Hurdle in Senate

Republican lawmaker’s plan to cut the nation’s largest food welfare program budget to pay for a massive tax cuts and spending bill has run askew of Senate rules.

A proposal that would have shifted some program costs onto states for the first time violates the “Byrd Rule,” according to a Friday night notice from Senate Budget Committee Democrats. The rule blocks provisions that don’t have budgetary effects from being included in legislation the chamber can consider without Democratic support in an expedited process known as reconciliation.

The finding from the Senate parliamentarian represents a significant blow for Republicans, who were ...