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Farm Bill Facing Partisan Impasse

Both parties in the House are willing to draw lines in sand over SNAP

After Congress approved a $1.3 trillion spending bill last week came the perspective that the appropriations package would be the last major bill passed by this Congress says a report at The Progressive Farmer.

It's only late March, but the House of Representatives has just 65 legislative days left this year until a month-long break in October and early November to campaign.

Meanwhile, the farm bill is growing more partisan in the House. While their Senate counterparts appear in more lock-step -- meaning less willing to fight about nutrition programs -- both parties in the House are willing to draw lines in the sand over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Nutrition programs, mainly SNAP, are the big spending items in farm bill, taking up 71% of USDA's funding in FY 2018. SNAP is also the biggest driver of savings from the 2014 farm bill because the number of people on the program has fallen.

So there's the backdrop of impending mid-elections and dropping people social-welfare programs following a large tax-cut bill. Still, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway, R-Texas, signaled over the weekend he's going against expectations and will drive ahead with a farm bill even though Democrats on his committee are balking at Conaway's proposals for SNAP.

Read the full report at The Progressive Farmer.

© Copyright 2018 DTN/The Progressive Farmer. All rights reserved.

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