HOUSE FARM BILL CUTS 2 MILLION PEOPLE FROM SNAP

The House Agriculture Committee’s 2013 farm bill would cut SNAP assistance by almost $21 billion over the next decade, eliminating food assistance to nearly 2 million low-income people, mostly working families with children and senior citizens.  The bill as a whole would reduce total farm bill spending by an estimated $39.7 billion over ten years, so more than half of its cuts come from SNAP.  Most of the bill’s SNAP cuts come from eliminating a state option known as “categorical eligibility,” which since 1996 has allowed states to provide food assistance to households whose gross incomes or assets are modestly above federal SNAP limits but whose disposable incomes are in most cases below the poverty line.  The bill also would (1) eliminate SNAP incentive payments to states that have improved payment accuracy and service delivery, (2) cut nutrition education funding, and (3) curtail a state option that reduces paperwork for many households with utility expenses and lowers state administrative costs.

Source: Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 5/16/13, Farm Bill