AFBF President Wants Food Stamps in Farm Bill

MITCHELL, S.D.The leader of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) supports including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in a new farm bill.

"We believe those who want reform in the nutrition program need to get together and craft something that puts our nutrition programs on a better path than they are on now," AFBF President Bob Stallman was quoted by The Daily Republic as saying during an agricultural trade show.

In June, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected a $940 billion Senate farm bill that would have stripped $21 billion from SNAP, the food stamp program. A bill passed the following month by the House left out spending for food stamps, infuriating Democrats.

The current farm bill expires on Sept. 30, giving the House and Senate little time to reconcile differences. But Congress is under extreme pressure to reach a deal. Failure to do so would subject the nation to a 1949 law that could lead to substantial price hikes on such items as milk, according to The Washington Post.