No Farm Bill Without SNAP

The Ranking member of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition says there will be no farm bill without the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Democrat James McGovern of Massachusetts at the opening of a hearing titled The Next Farm Bill: The Future of SNAP, warned lawmakers, by saying “don’t even think of separating the nutrition title from the farm bill.” He said such a move would be a “huge mistake” and guaranteed there “will be no farm bill,” if the committee separates SNAP from the farm bill. Further, he wanted the House Agriculture Committee to not “screw around with the program.” McGovern says there is no reason to undermine SNAP through structural changes or further restrictions. McGovern says he has read reports that the committee may consider changing provisions to able-bodied adults without dependents. However, he says, the committee needs to find a way to make SNAP better, including increasing SNAP benefits.