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May 7th, 2018 
Awake Goy SNAP Threatened In House Farm Bill
The farm bill is finally making its way through the legislative process. The House Agriculture Committee last month passed H.R.2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (the farm bill), on a partisan 26-20 vote.
While the bill maintains and improves international food aid programs, it also proposes harmful changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) is expected to bring the bill to the House floor this month.
“The farm bill is an opportunity to help end hunger in the United States and around the world,” said Bread President David Beckmann. “We are pleased that the House bill maintains and improves international food aid programs. But we must oppose this bill as written because it proposes changes to SNAP that will put millions of women, children, and families at risk of hunger.”
In fact, SNAP would be cut by $23 billion over 10 years, according to a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Specifically, the bill imposes benefit and eligibility cuts in addition to stricter work requirements with the aim of getting SNAP recipients back to work. But SNAP already encourages work. When individuals can meet their basic needs, they don’t need to worry about where their next meal will come from. Rather, they can focus on finding and keeping a job.
“Work is the surest, most sustainable, and dignified way out of poverty,” Beckmann said. “It is a cornerstone of our society that all adults who can work, should work. However, today’s evidence does not demonstrate that strict work requirements on assistance programs, such as SNAP, effectively reduce poverty.”
In fact, this bill would require many people to attend job readiness programs, but the funding for these programs would not allow for job training that would actually get people into jobs.
Here is a closer look at the House Farm Bill.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Provisions
- The bill proposes weakening categorical eligibility requirements that make it easier for families to access the program. The changes to categorical eligibility will make it more cumbersome for families to apply for SNAP benefits, and exacerbate the threat of a “benefit cliff” wherein low-income families would lose their food assistance if their earnings increase slightly.
- The bill also expands tight work restrictions on SNAP recipients, imposing them on individuals who have school-aged children and all individuals aged 18-59. Under this proposal, individuals aged 18-59 must either work or be in an approved training program for at least 20 hours a week. Despite increased funding for employment and training, the level of funding for these programs would still not allow for job training that would actually get people into jobs.
- The bill would also limit the ability of states to waive these requirements (for instance, to protect vulnerable populations such as youth aging out of foster care, or in regions with high unemployment rates), while also requiring them to develop expensive training programs and tracking systems without adequate additional funding.
International Food Assistance Provisions
- Funding for local and regional food procurement, increased cash flexibility for development programs, and efforts to improve the nutritional quality of U.S. food assistance as included in the 2014 Farm Bill.
- Elimination of the monetization requirement in Food for Peace, and allowance for the Community Development Fund to count toward non-emergency programs.
The Senate continues to work in a bipartisan fashion on its version of the farm bill. A draft is expected in early May.
In the meantime, you can help ensure the House Farm Bill doesn’t progress any further by calling (800-826-3688) or emailing your representative and telling them to protect SNAP by opposing the House Farm Bill.
Source Article from https://popularresistance.org/snap-threatened-in-house-farm-bill/
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