There’s still no Farm Bill in Washington, and congressional Democrats are indicating they won’t support any compromise which includes deep cuts in the the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as Food Stamps.
“People are having trouble just keeping up, let alone getting ahead. I think it would be imprudent and inhumane, frankly, to see the kinds of cuts the House has suggested,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. The Farm Bill Conference Committee is scheduled to meet for the first time this week, and its members are tasked with finding a compromise between the Senate-passed a Farm Bill that included $4.5 billion in cuts to the SNAP program, and the House-passed legislation that slashes $40 billion over 10 years.
Despite the divide on Food Stamps, Baldwin maintains there’s plenty of incentive for Democrats and Republicans to reach a consensus on a farm bill. “The Farm Bill contains about $23 billion in cuts to outdated commodity programs that have no relevance in today’s farm economy, and we’re all looking for savings,” she said.