Tag: Agriculture

House passage of new 5-year farm bill could hinge on level of cuts in food stamp program, By Mary Clare Jalonick (AP), June 19, 2013, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: “Prospects for House passage of a new farm bill could turn on the level of food stamp cuts as key backers scrambled Wednesday to secure support for the five-year, half-trillion dollar measure. The House planned to begin voting Wednesday on 103 amendments to the bill, including a Democratic proposal to eliminate $2 billion in cuts in the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program, now called the Supplemental Assistance Program, or SNAP. The bill also would make it more difficult for some to qualify for food stamps, and would expand some agriculture subsidies and set policy for rural development programs…”

• Senate passes farm bill; House vote is less sure, By Ron Nixon, June 10, 2013, New York Times: “The Senate approved a sweeping new farm bill on Monday that will cost nearly $955 billion over the next 10 years, the first step in a renewed attempt at passing legislation that will set the country’s food and agriculture programs and policy. The bill, which finances programs as diverse as crop insurance for farmers, food assistance for low-income families and foreign food aid, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, 66 to 27. The Senate passed a similar bill last year, but the House failed to bring its bill to a vote. The last farm bill that was passed by both chambers, in 2008, was extended until Sept. 30…”
• Senate OKs farm bill; food stamps cut slightly, By Mary Clare Jalonick (AP), June 11, 2013, Columbus Dispatch: “The Senate yesterday passed a five-year, half-trillion-dollar farm bill that expands government subsidies for crop insurance, rice and peanuts while making small cuts to food stamps. The bill passed on a bipartisan 66-27 vote. The legislation, which costs almost $100 billion annually, also would eliminate subsidies that are paid to farmers whether they farm or not. All told, it would save about $2.4 billion a year on the farm and nutrition programs, including across-the-board cuts that took effect this year…”
• More rely on food stamps despite economic gains, By William E. Gibson, June 9, 2013, South Florida Sun-Sentinel: “Despite an improving economy, one in five Florida residents relies on food stamps. And while the number of recipients in South and Central Florida has leveled off in recent months, totals remain at near-record highs. Now, many in Congress want to scale back food-stamp spending, saying the $78-billion-a-year costs are unsustainable. That would cut off benefits — which max out at $526 a month for a family of three — for thousands of low-wage workers whose housing and child-care expenses eat up as much as half their earnings…”