Food stamps should remain part of farm bill, Stallman says
January 13, 2013 | 05:21 PM
NASHVILLE — American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman said here today that he opposes the idea of dividing the farm bill and the nutrition programs into separate pieces of legislation.
When the food stamp program, now officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, was created in the 1960s, it was made part of the farm bill as a way to convince urban House members to vote for the bill.
Anti-hunger groups have joined with farm groups in establishing a “farm to table” coalition that has succeeded in passing farm bills ever since. But some tea-party oriented Republicans who want big cuts to food stamps have suggested since 2010 that the two programs should be split into twp pieces of legislation. Political analysts and lobbyists have said that both food stamps and the farm program would have a hard time garnering a congressional majority if they were not tied together.
Stallman said at a news conference that some Farm Bureau members have also suggested to him that the two programs should be split. “I have to educate them a little on what the outcome would be, and it would not be good,” he said.
Stallman said he expects delegates at the national convention here to maintain Farm Bureau’s support for the program as a way to provide food to people who cannot afford to buy it, but that the level of funding for the program will continue to be “a sticking point.”
Stallman said that Farm Bureau continues to believe that savings can be found in the food stamp program by addressing fraud, abuse and efficiencies without cutting benefits to needy individuals
When the food stamp program, now officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, was created in the 1960s, it was made part of the farm bill as a way to convince urban House members to vote for the bill.
Anti-hunger groups have joined with farm groups in establishing a “farm to table” coalition that has succeeded in passing farm bills ever since. But some tea-party oriented Republicans who want big cuts to food stamps have suggested since 2010 that the two programs should be split into twp pieces of legislation. Political analysts and lobbyists have said that both food stamps and the farm program would have a hard time garnering a congressional majority if they were not tied together.
Stallman said at a news conference that some Farm Bureau members have also suggested to him that the two programs should be split. “I have to educate them a little on what the outcome would be, and it would not be good,” he said.
Stallman said he expects delegates at the national convention here to maintain Farm Bureau’s support for the program as a way to provide food to people who cannot afford to buy it, but that the level of funding for the program will continue to be “a sticking point.”
Stallman said that Farm Bureau continues to believe that savings can be found in the food stamp program by addressing fraud, abuse and efficiencies without cutting benefits to needy individuals
