The Farm Bill that passed the House today (231-191) contained far more weighty matters than the non-binding anti-obesity resolution. It also contained a tax increase of somewhere between $6 billion and $7.8 billion on the U.S. subsidiaries of foreign corporations. This could possibly threaten the jobs of tens of thousands of Americans and discourage multinationals from establishing a presence in the United States. It’s also a corporate income tax hike, which will ultimately be paid for by higher consumer prices.

Americans for Tax reform informed all the members of the House who have taken Taxpayer Protection Pledge, that a vote for this bill would break their pledge. Nonetheless, several members showed bad faith to the taxpayers. All four Democratic pledge signers broke their promise — and for all four, it was the second time they have done so in seven months. That includes Rep. Brad Ellworth (D, Ind.) (The Hill’s #1 most beautiful person on Capitol Hill), Ben Chandler (D-Ky.), Gene Taylor (D-Miss.), and Rob Andrews ( D-N.J.).

The Republican renegades were legion — 18 of them broke their pledges. They include Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), JoAnn Emerson (R-Mo.), Randy Forbes (R-Va.), Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), Wayne Gilchrest (R-Md.), Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Robin Hayes ( D-N.C.), Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.), Bobby Jindal (R-La.), Tim Johnson (R-Ill.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Randy Kuhl (R-N.Y.), Candice Miller (R-Mich.), Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), Mark Souder (R-Ind.), Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) and Heather Wilson ( R-N.M.).

This is a bitter disappointment, particularly in the case of Smith, a Club for Growth candidate from 2006. It is a testimony to how powerful big agriculture really is, that it can make a conservative like him vote for a tax increase just so that a bill gets passed.