On Tuesday, when Congress returns to a lame duck session, there will be a rush to negotiate an end-of-the-year spending package including a Farm Bill extension and reorganization. The current continuing resolution will expire Dec. 20.
The Farm Bill began 90 years ago with various payments to support farmers, but now has an impact far beyond the farm, with programs to create wildlife habitat, address climate change and provide the nation’s largest federal nutrition program.
With increasing food insecurity and reliance on food pantries, advocacy to improve the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits within the Farm Bill is needed. The proposed House Farm Bill cuts SNAP by $30 billion over 10 years, based on a funding calculation that sets limits on the “Thrifty Food Plan” formula that calculates benefits for SNAP. Those payments would remain at current levels, but there would be a permanent freeze on the ability of future presidents to raise levels of food support, with a projected $30 billion loss over 10 years. This loss would be borne by 17 million children, 6 million folks over 60 and 4 million disabled people.
