Roberts of Kansas a yes vote on two-year budget deal

Three days after threatening to vote against the two-year budget agreement that lifted the debt ceiling and spending caps under the sequester, Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas changed his mind and voted yes.

The flip is something of a surprise. Roberts, a Republican, was among the senators most upset with proposed cuts in crop insurance in the deal.

“Senator Roberts Will Vote Against Budget Deal: Farmers Forced to Shoulder Nation’s Financial Burdens,” was the headline on a Roberts press release Oct. 27.

Instead, on Oct. 30, he voted yes. It’s possible Roberts’ fears about the crop insurance cuts were quietly addressed. We’ll see.

UPDATE: They were.

The other votes from Kansas and Missouri went as expected. Sen. Claire McCaskill, the lone Democrat, voted yes; Sens. Jerry Moran and Roy Blunt were no votes.

The deal passed. “This agreement is a reminder that Washington can still choose to help, rather than hinder, America’s progress,” President Barack Obama said in a statement Friday morning. “I look forward to signing it into law as soon as it reaches my desk.”

This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 9:30 AM.