Much of the national attention has been focused on student protests, the trial of Donald Trump and President Joe Biden’s popularity problems.
But behind the public showcase, a formidable fight is brewing between Republicans and Democrats that could affect the nutrition of millions of people in the United States.
We are talking about the five-year reauthorization of the so-called Farm Bill that will have an estimated cost of 1.5 billion dollars.
Senate Democrats seek to neutralize efforts by House Republicans to limit the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) authority over the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).
They also reject the Republican plan to limit updates to the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), which is related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food support to more than 41 million people, most of them children, seniors or those with disabilities.
Maximum SNAP benefits are updated each year based on the TFP cost in June and go into effect on October 1. The TFP is the cost of food needed to provide a healthy, affordable diet for a family of four.
Only 20 percent of households receiving SNAP have gross monthly incomes above the federal poverty line. The average monthly gross income of a household receiving SNAP is $872 and net income is $398.
37% of SNAP beneficiaries are non-Hispanic white, 26% are African American, 16% are Hispanic, 3% are Asian and 2% are Native American, according to official figures.
There is no doubt that the Farm Bill is the most important instrument of agricultural and food policy in the United States.
Created in 1933 under the name of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA), in the midst of a historic drought and famine during the Great Depression, the legislation had the dual purpose of helping farmers and feeding the poorest families.
The Farm Bill was not renewed during its most recent expiration and remains at the same spending levels as the previous version.
The House and Senate Agriculture Committees are scheduled to approve their versions of the legislation in the coming days.
It is necessary to create a consensus between Democratic and moderate Republican legislators to approve a Farm Bill that benefits the most vulnerable segments of society, farmers and the country as a whole.
Your voice counts in the outcome of this battle. Contact your congressional delegation and let them know your point of view. No one should be a passive spectator when the feeding of millions, especially the most vulnerable, is at stake.
