Debate over SNAP funding could impact passage of Farm Bill

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Congress is expected to pass the final edition of the nation’s sweeping farm bill this year.

However, a debate over funding for nutrition programs, including SNAP, leaves the farm bill in limbo.

“If you don’t take care of farmers, it’s just not going to work,” said U.S. Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), the top Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Boozman warns that it is increasingly difficult for American farmers to make a living.

“The measures that help them manage their risks are simply not working,” he said.

That’s why Boozman wants to include better safety nets, programs that provide risk protection and income support for farmers, in the bill.

“Borrow the money they need to continue living and continue to provide us with the cheapest and safest food supply in the world,” Boozman said. “We take that for granted.”

Senate Democrats say much of the $1.5 trillion bill focuses on the wrong things.

“It’s investing hundreds of millions of dollars more in commodities where there is nothing for fruits and vegetables. Nothing,” said U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). “It’s pretty terrible.”

Gillibrand also worries about potential cuts in Republican Party funding to nutrition programs for low-income Americans.

“They want to cut SNAP benefits by $30 billion,” she said. “So you can imagine how many people would go hungry with that kind of reduction.”

However, Boozman does not view the proposal as a reduction, noting that SNAP funding has increased by 85% since the last farm bill in 2018.

“There is a limit to the amount of money we can spend on this program,” he said.

An extension of the 2018 Farm Bill expires at the end of September. Lawmakers may need to pass another one first before agreeing on a comprehensive 2024 farm bill.