U.S. House of Representatives Approves Food Stamp Cuts

The House-passed farm bill would cut nearly $40 billion over a decade from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP).

September 23, 2013

WASHINGTON – Last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3102, the Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act of 2013 (i.e., the farm bill), by a vote of 217-210.

Specifically, the bill would cut nearly $40 billion over a decade, or about 5% in expected spending, from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP), also known as food stamps. Passage of the legislation allows House and Senate negotiators to begin hashing out the differences between their respective farm bills to extend nutrition programs and farm programs that are set to expire at the end of September. 

“The House passed a bill that makes common-sense reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that encourages and enables work participation, closes program loopholes, and eliminates waste, fraud and abuse while saving the American taxpayer nearly $40 billion,” said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas. “SNAP serves an important purpose to help Americans who are struggling, so it is equally important that we ensure the program is working in the most effective and efficient way. I look forward to continuing conversations with my House and Senate colleagues as we move toward a farm bill conference.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that if the House and Senate conferees cannot reach an agreement, “many nutrition programs would likely continue at current spending levels under other bills aimed at keeping federal agencies funded into the new fiscal year,” which starts on October 1.

Learn More at the NACS Show 
On Saturday, October 12 at the NACS Show, join us for the educational session “Oh SNAP! Navigating Eligibility Requirements” and hear from a retired SNAP authorizer on how you can navigate the entire process, from applying for SNAP authorization to reauthorizing your license. You will also learn how to increase profit margin by being SNAP authorized and therefore able to access part of the $74-million SNAP dollars paid out by the federal government.

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