Center-Left Democrats Endorse Farm Bill Policies to Combat Hunger and Poverty
The New Democrat Coalition released endorsements of bipartisan Farm Bill policies aimed at fighting poverty and hunger
A group of fiscally moderate Democrats are looking to the Farm Bill to combat rising food insecurity, endorsing a slate of 44 measures to bolster nutrition programs and strengthen food supply chains.
The endorsements from the New Democrat Coalition, a caucus of nearly 100 fiscally moderate Democrats, details of which were first shared with The Messenger, lays down a mostly bipartisan marker of policy priorities as Washington confronts the renewal of the country’s primary agriculture and food policy legislation.
The endorsements from the influential group of Democrats comes as numbers released earlier this month showed childhood poverty spiked to 12.4% from a record low of 5.2% in 2021. The jump in poverty rates was due mostly to changes in the federal tax code, the Census Bureau said, pointing to the end of temporary expansions of the child tax credits and pandemic-era assistance.
But the package of bills endorsed by the New Dems seeks to expand access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the federal program aimed at fighting against poverty and hunger amongst low-income Americans. Last year, SNAP totaled around $119 billion and assisted approximately 41 million beneficiaries per month.
But a faction of Republicans, the party in control of the House, want to cut spending, including reducing SNAP benefits. The GOP secured an agreement to expand work requirements for the program as part of the debt limit deal between House Republicans and the White House earlier this year.
The package of bills endorsed Monday by the Democratic group includes a measure to make it easier for people to sign an application for the SNAP program via telephone and making permanent SNAP eligibility for college students. The group also said lawmakers should “reject efforts to undermine key nutrition programs” like SNAP.
“Americans are counting on Congress to advance a Farm Bill that not only bolsters our agriculture economy, but funds key programs that empower rural communities, support families who depend on our agricultural industry, conserve our natural resources, and ensure no one in this country goes hungry,” Reps. Kim Schrier, D-Wa., Jim Costa, R-Calif. and Don Davis, D-N.C., said of the endorsements.
The Farm Bill must be renewed every five years. The process for renewal this year, though, has been pushed to the backburner as Washington confronts a government spending crisis, up against a Sept. 30 deadline before a government shutdown. Schrier, Costa and Davis said Congress should pass the Farm Bill “without delay.”
The New Dems’ endorsement of the bills also places emphasis on rural broadband development and support for beginner, younger and socially disadvantaged growers.
By: Stephen Neukam
Source: The Messenger
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