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Some lawmakers are expecting a battle over SNAP in the next farm bill.
Speaking at the recent 2023 Ag Outlook Forum by Agri-Pulse, Congressman Tracey Mann (R-KS-1st District) and Congresswoman Sharice Davids, (D-KS-3rd District) answered a question on if controversy over the SNAP program nutrition benefits can be expected in the farm bill debate.
“There will be controversy,” Congressman Mann said. “There is still, I would say, disagreement on behalf of some members of Congress, obviously, for everybody on what those levels are. So, I think that continues to be part of the conversation. And when it’s 81 percent of the funding, how would it not be? Right? So, it’s just when you talk about the farm bill, 81 percent now is on the food nutrition side. Whether those amounts are where they should be or not, that’s for Congress to decide. But I definitely think those conversations will continue here moving forward.”
Congresswoman Davids said the debate isn’t just on party lines.
“Some Democrats want to see much higher funding,” she said. “So, there’s intraparty dynamics that are at play for the nutrition programs as well. So, it’s not surprising that there’s going to constantly be an argument. I just had hoped that in this Congress with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, that it would maybe tamp down a little bit.”
There are a number of points of contention when it comes to SNAP benefits. Among them are work requirements. Only about 13 percent of SNAP recipients have work requirements, and Republicans would like to see that number increase. Currently, SNAP participants who are able to work and don’t have a dependent are required to work at least 80 hours per month to qualify for the program.
Any debate among lawmakers in the House won’t resume until a new Speaker of the House is elected by House members. On Tuesday, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20th District) was ousted as House Speaker by the vote of 216-210 after a motion to vacate and remove McCarthy from the position was filed by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL-1st District). In the meantime, the House must first seek a replacement and fill the House Speaker position before continuing with any other business regarding legislation.
