U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, who is running for re-election in the Senate, criticized his challenger U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton on Saturday for voting against the $100 billion-a-year farm bill that was approved earlier this week.
Pryor claimed Cotton was listening to outside interest groups supporting Cotton's campaign in voting against the farm bill that passed 251-166 Wednesday.
"It's become very clear to all who are looking at this that [Cotton] doesn't represent the state," Pryor said in the Rotunda room at the Arkansas Capitol building. "He represents and listens to people who are funding his campaign. He continues to put his own ambitions ahead of the state of Arkansas."
Cotton represents the 4th District in the U.S. House of Representatives and was the only member of Arkansas' all-Republican House delegation to vote against the bill.
U.S. Reps. Rick Crawford, Tim Griffin and Steve Womack each said that while the bill is not perfect, it provides stability to the country's farmers, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
Cotton said in a statement on Wednesday to the newspaper that he couldn't vote for the farm bill for several reasons, including Arkansas farmers not receiving as much funding as they previously had and the bill supporting the food stamp program, otherwise known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
"I wish the bill would have turned out differently," Cotton said on the phone to the newspaper.
The House approved the $100 billion-a-year farm bill Wednesday, which would last five years and would make small cuts to food stamps and continue subsidies for American farmers if passed by the Senate and signed by President Barack Obama.
Cotton only Arkansas congressman to oppose
Arkansas U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton was the only member of the state's all-Republican House delegation to vote against the farm bill.
U.S. Reps. Rick Crawford, Tim Griffin and Steve Womack all supported the measure, which passed the House on a 251-166 vote Wednesday.
Speaking on the House floor Wednesday, Womack said the farm bill begins the process of making "much-needed reforms to federal programs."
Cotton said earlier in the day that the farm bill didn't do enough to cut the food stamp program.
Cotton is challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, who has criticized the Republican for opposing earlier versions of the farm bill. Pryor has said he supports the latest measure.