House Farm Bill Fails As Conservatives Revolt Over Immigration
The House rejected a $867 billion farm bill Friday — after spending days negotiating with key conservatives to ensure that the bill could pass without the support of Democrats.
The House rejected a $867 billion farm bill Friday — after spending days negotiating with key conservatives to ensure that the bill could pass without the support of Democrats.
Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis said a new farm bill to be voted on in the U.S. House on Friday would invest ten billion dollars over the next decade in workforce training for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program, also known as food stamps.
The farm bill traditionally is a bipartisan effort, but House Republicans’ proposed changes to the main federal food-aid program in this year’s version has struck a nerve. To move it through efficiently, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says he’ll appeal to President Donald Trump.
Many active-duty service members can’t get SNAP benefits because the government counts a soldier’s housing allowance as income, pushing them above the federal eligibility line.
Immigration advocates say these families have grown increasingly fearful of sharing their information with a government agency and would rather face food insecurity than risk enrolling in SNAP.