Setting the record straight: the Farm Bill. Noem continued to be unclear and lay out false claims in her attempt to mislead and distract from her record on the Farm Bill, saying that she never opposed a discharge petition. In reality, Noem opposed an effort to bring the Farm Bill to the floor for a vote. She had signed a letter urging her colleagues to support a “discharge petition,” which could force the House to vote on the Farm Bill despite objections from the House leadership. But her name is conspicuously absent from the final version of the letter, and her spokesperson said Noem opposed the discharge petition. On August 3, The Hill newspaper reported on this about-face, noting that Noem “might have feared angering her leaders.” According to the Argus Leader, “Noem considered leading the effort to promote the discharge petition, but decided it might be counterproductive.” During the debate, Noem flip-flopped again on the discharge petition, saying she would sign on. As Varilek noted, this marked a change from her stance as of this morning.
