House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas issued a report entitled “In Case You Missed It…Congress Should Pass a Cost-Saving Farm Bill.” Mr. Lucas argues that his version of the Farm Bill would save taxpayers nearly $35 billion by eliminating outdated and duplicative government programs. Chairman Lucas points out that last year, he and his colleagues debated these issues and voted to pass the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (FARRM) which would save $25 billion by reducing several Farm Bill Commodity programs by 30 percent.
The major debate in the House Agriculture Committee was whether to reform the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. Close to 50 million Americans are eligible for SNAP, which provides grocery purchasing assistance to people who meet the federal requirements determined by the United States Department of Agriculture. The committee voted to remove state programs that increase SNAP benefits, and to stop federal incentives to states for getting eligible people signed up for the SNAP program. SNAP for college students has been limited, and the USDA will no longer be able to spend funds to advertise the program.
Many anti-hunger organizations, including food banks, do not agree with the proposed cuts to the SNAP program. To this day, Congress has not reauthorized a new Farm Bill. It is the responsibility of the people to continue letting Congress know that SNAP is an important program and that we should not limit benefits to those who are eligible. Limiting benefits would cause an increase in hunger in the local area, as well as across our entire country.
I would like to know about your experience with the SNAP program. Will you e-mail me your story? I will take these stories to Congress so that our voices can be heard. So leave a comment here, or e-mail me at BBanks@CapitalAreaFoodBank.org.