Experts have warned that SNAP benefits for millions of recipients nationwide could be impacted if lawmakers don’t come to an agreement on the Farm Bill.
The Farm, Food, and National Security Act, commonly known as the Farm Bill, is a crucial piece of federal legislation that typically gets reauthorized every five years. The last bill, passed in 2018, was scheduled for renewal in 2023, but lawmakers extended the legislation until September 30, 2024. However, this deadline wasn’t met.
Experts have now warned that having no renewed legislation in time for the new year could impact the funding of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits for low- and no-income families.
“If the appropriations bills are not passed by the end of December, January benefits will still go out because SNAP benefits are obligated in the prior month (December),” Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs at Syracuse University, told Newsweek. She explained that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which funds SNAP, has “a multi-year carry over fund and contingency funds that could be used to continue payouts” – but for how long is not known.
A file photo of a woman shopping for groceries. The Farm Bill authorizes SNAP payments to millions across America.
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Newsweek contacted the USDA for comment via email outside of normal working hours.
“Food and the cost of living are already high—Congress needs to do their part and pass a bipartisan Farm Bill to avoid compounding hardships for American families,” Javier Palomarez, founder and CEO of the United States Hispanic Business Council (USHBC), told Newsweek. “We need our nation’s lawmakers to act and protect farmers, ranchers, small business owners and millions of Americans who rely on food aid programs. It is deeply concerning that our Congress is failing to pass such a critical and commonsense piece of legislation—a theme that is growing all-too-common in our current political climate.”
What’s Happened So Far?
Normally, when the time comes to renew the Farm Bill, both parties are able to reconcile and create bipartisan legislation before the current bill expires. This new legislation then guides agriculture, environmental policies and funding for the next five years.
However, in 2023, Congress failed to agree on new provisions before the 2018 bill’s expiration. Instead, it extended the existing bill for another year. The political landscape remains unchanged, with both chambers of Congress held by opposing parties with narrow majorities.
While both parties agree on some measures for the bill, they have competing visions for the national food welfare program.
What Do Democrats Want?
Democrats want to continue the five-year revaluation already contained in the pre-existing Farm Bill.
The revaluation is tied to the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP). The TFP estimates the cost of groceries that make up a healthy diet that households with low incomes can purchase and prepare.
The maximum monthly SNAP benefit by household size is also adjusted by the federal government every year in October to account for inflation.
What Do Republicans Want?
The GOP’s Farm Bill proposal would freeze the TFP, leaving payments at their current levels until 2029, when the next Farm Bill comes.
“The 2024 Farm Bill will reassert Congressional intent by prescribing a cost-neutral process while taking into consideration food prices and composition, consumption patterns, and dietary guidance,” Representative Glenn Thompson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, said in a statement in April this year.
