Key Democrats in the House are already lining up in opposition to the House version of the 2018 Farm Bill because of proposed changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The House version was passed out of the Ag Committee in a partisan, party-line vote.
The Hill Dot Com says the bill is now facing attacks from conservative groups. Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners, two groups that are associated with billionaire conservative donors Charles and David Koch, sent a joint letter to Congress in opposition to the bill. The groups actually support changes to SNAP. However, they say the savings are being shifted into other wasteful programs. The groups question the call to redirect expected savings into a SNAP employment and training program. The letter says that “training programs have a poor track record of delivering results.”
New estimates from the Congressional Budget Office say expanded SNAP job training could take more than ten years to get going. The letter says the bill is made up of “corporate welfare” and “many other expensive, unfair policies.” Among some of the highlights in the letter, the organizations say the “reckless budget deal and the irresponsible omnibus bill” have made it very important for farm and nutrition programs to be reassessed. They want the programs put on a more “responsible path.”
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.