Why Do We Call It the Farm Bill? Pt 1
I'm Bob Larson. I'm Bob Larson. As issues like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, and immigration continue to keep fueling the Farm Bill debate, it begs the question, 'why is it called the Farm Bill'?
The Washington Policy Center's Madi Clark says when you consider that more than three-quarters of the funding goes to SNAP, it's a good question ...
CLARK ... "But, that huge chunk of funding almost disorients it and it almost gets hidden because you refer to it as the 'Farm Bill' and people don't realize the nutrition title is the bulk of that funding. So, they see a big price tag and think, well those farmers they're getting all those handouts when, in fact, they get 23% of those handouts, with quotation marks, of that program."
Clark says it comes down to creating a message that reaches the most people ...
CLARK ... "It's a challenging situation and it's mostly political because the urban Democrats probably wouldn't vote for a Farm Bill, but they're going to vote for something that has nutrition it. So, it's really to generate the votes which I don't believe is the best policy situation."
I asked Clark if it would be possible to separate all the issues ...
CLARK ... "Well, that's a great question. It's a case I keep wanting to make, but I work in the world of ag policy in Washington so I fight many a losing battle, I'm sure, but I'm going to keep fighting it."
But, Clark says the issues would be much easier to sort out if they were voted on separately. Listen tomorrow for more the Farm Bill and what might be best for Washington.
