Farm Bill Progress Pt 2

Farm Bill Progress Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I'm Bob Larson. No cuts to the overall funding of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as part of the Farm Bill, just redirection of how the money is spent. That's the message from supporters of the Farm Bill as it heads to the House floor for debate.

Representative Dan Newhouse says the way it's written, SNAP is budget neutral, meaning any savings from a food stamp work requirement would be reinvested in training and education ...

NEWHOUSE ... "This also gives the states a lot of flexibility as well, as how they determine which groups of individuals can qualify for federal assistance. So, overall, I think that this makes some significant reforms.

It encourages the age group between 18 and 59 through these training opportunities and job requirements in order to receive benefits from the SNAP program."

Newhouse says nothing's carved in stone just yet, but he likes the way the Farm Bill is written ...

NEWHOUSE ... "I think there's some real positive changes. I'm going to be meeting with some food groups, hoping to hear reaction from people and I think that will be a very valuable kind of input for me to be able to see what kinds of things maybe need to be tweaked or enhanced, but overall I think that the Farm Bill makes some very positive reforms and I'm looking forward to having people hear more about it."

Some Democrats have made no bones about the issues they have with the SNAP reforms, setting the stage for a lively debate in the weeks ahead and potential changes in the final product.

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