House Freedom Caucus shockingly defies GOP leadership, kills farm bill with the Democrats

Mark Meadows.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

A closely-watched farm bill was rejected by the House 213-198 on Friday, as conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus joined Democrats in opposition as a protest of GOP leadership refusing to bring an immigration bill to a vote. "The vast majority of our members believe that we should have a vote on immigration before we have a vote on the farm bill," said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the leader of the caucus, despite the fact that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has promised to bring the conservative immigration legislation to the floor in June, The Hill reports.

The Freedom Caucus' defiance was a blow to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and McCarthy, who seemed to believe they had enough support to pass the bill when they went into the vote, says CBS News' Ed O'Keefe. The opposition on the floor reportedly broke out in cheers "when the results were announced."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.