This is more of a political exercise than a serious debate but it could have a very real impact on the fate of the farm bill. There are ways for us to work together but this isn’t it. I believe there are areas of SNAP that can and should be reformed and where we can reach bipartisan consensus.
House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin C. Peterson, D-Minn., today made the following statement regarding the Republican budget resolution for fiscal year 2018. The proposal includes $10 billion in cuts to Agriculture Committee programs, specifically citing cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“The cuts as outlined in the Majority’s budget resolution will make it much more difficult, if not near impossible, to pass a new farm bill. Singling out the SNAP program will kill the farm bill.
“This is the kind of political ideology that led to the failure of the 2014 Farm Bill on the House floor. Strict work requirements exist under current law and may be waived at the request of the states, with both Republican and Democratic Governors having sought and obtained work waivers. Giving states more flexibility, as the budget suggests, could leave millions of dollars unaccountable. States could then charge the federal government for the additional expense of administering the program beyond federal standards.
“This is more of a political exercise than a serious debate but it could have a very real impact on the fate of the farm bill. There are ways for us to work together but this isn’t it. I believe there are areas of SNAP that can and should be reformed and where we can reach bipartisan consensus. These policy decisions are best left to the Agriculture Committee during our farm bill debate.”
