The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a flashpoint in Congress yet again as members work to renew the farm bill. And the debate comes in the midst of rising food insecurity across the U.S. Republican lawmakers are eyeing more changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as part of the farm bill — setting the stage for a contentious fight in Congress.
That’s after lawmakers expanded work requirements for SNAP benefits earlier this summer as part of the debt ceiling agreement.
Several Democrats on the House Ag committee sent a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, earlier this month, asking that GOP members not to seek further changes.
“... (P)laying partisan SNAP politics does nothing to address the needs of our farm and ranch families who depend on the other components of the farm bill, whether it’s the farm safety net, conservation, trade or other titles,” the letter stated.
The 2018 version of the farm bill is set to expire Sept. 30, and Congress will be in session for about three weeks when lawmakers convene after Labor Day.
Rep. Glenn Thompson, a Republican from Pennsylvania and chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, indicated earlier this month that Congress will have to temporarily extend the bill.
He’s also said that he expects the new omnibus package will be a bipartisan effort.
Food insecurity on the rise
Food insecurity has risen across the country this year as the end of emergency food support and higher food costs strain low-income households.
More than 27 million people are living in households that haven’t had enough food in the last week, according to the latest data from U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey. That’s up about 11% from the first two weeks of January.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 41 million people receive benefits through SNAP. Thomas Gremillion, the food policy director for the Consumer Federation of America, said low-income households will have to spend even more of their tight budgets on food if Congress makes further restrictions on the program.
“Cutting back on SNAP benefits, right at a time when food prices have really skyrocketed over the last couple of years,” he said, “it’s a recipe for disaster.”
The food assistance program is estimated to cost more than $1 trillion over the next decade. With the farm bill deadline looming, hunger relief advocates are not optimistic the bill will pass this year.
Source: kcur.org
Photo Credit: SNAP
Categories: Kansas, Government & Policy, Rural Lifestyle