Posted September 12, 2013
The House of Representatives will likely vote next week
on a bill to cut $40 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) over 10 years, according Jerry Hagstrom in a Capital Press article,
available here.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) has pushed for
the $40 billion cut to the SNAP program, commonly known as food stamps. While Cantor has not announced that a vote
will take place next week, “a knowledgeable House Republican aide confirmed
that the leadership plans to bring it up and said that the leadership is
expected to start this week ‘whipping’ or encouraging Republican members this
week to vote for it.”
Even if the House passes this bill, however, the farm
bill continues to cause controversy in the House. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank
Lucas (R-OK) “said this week that he would vote for the Cantor measure, but
warned that there would have to be a compromise with the Senate and with
President Barack Obama.”
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that “he hopes
the House nutrition bill fails because the reduction is so big it would “capture
folks that genuinely need the help.”
A memo from Cantor indicates that the additional cuts
will eliminate waivers for "able-bodied adults without dependents” (ABAWDs) to
qualify for year-round SNAP benefits. The
memo from Cantor’s office is available here.
Under the current law, ABAWDs are only eligible for SNAP
benefits for three months out of every three years. ABAWDs can be eligible for year-round SNAP
benefits if they are either employed or enrolled in an eligible workfare or job
training program. States with high
unemployment rates may ask for waivers to provide food stamps for longer
periods. The Cantor bill “would stop the
states from requesting the waivers and also from easing the path for people who
get other welfare payments” for SNAP benefits.
The Senate has already passed a comprehensive farm bill,
cutting $4 billion from the SNAP program, and has appointed conferees. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has said
that he will appoint House conferees after the House vote on the nutrition
title.
