Ag Lawmakers on the Next Farm Bill

The farm bill is set to expire this year, pushing many lawmakers to narrow in on legislative priorities. The Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program has been an important and polarizing topic on previous Farm Bills. Speaking at the 2022 Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit, former Senate and House Ag Committee Chair Pat Roberts says the program will most likely be center stage again this year.

“It has to be part of the farm program. Number one, the USDA runs it better than any other agency. Number two, you're not going to pass the Farm Bill without an appropriate food stamp program, and it fits into what farmers and ranchers and growers do, they provide food. The food program really with school lunches and everything else, it's here to stay, should be here to stay. We ought to write it better than anybody else.”

Former House Agriculture Committee Chair Colin Peterson says recent history shows lawmakers on both sides of the aisle will be met with obstacles with the nutrition program.

“You got people in this country that are being paid big bucks by some of these right-wing groups to come up with all this nonsense that's killed the last two farm bills. The ‘13 farm bill failed in the House because Cantor allowed to put this amendment on the bill and it went down, first time in history, the Farm Bill failed on the floor. In ’18, the bill failed again because of the same issue.”