Farm Bill 2018

The 2018 Farm Bill negotiations included a broad spectrum of policy perspectives and priorities. Given the tight budget environment, decisions over which program areas to cut were contentious. Federal food assistance programs are a major part of the Farm Bill budget, comprising 79.9% of spending in the 2014 Farm Bill. The 2018 Farm Bill will determine funding and program requirements for participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next five years. In 2018, potential cuts to SNAP have dominated Farm Bill debates as have the work requirement for program eligibility. On June 21, 2018, the U.S House of Representatives passed the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 which includes major funding cuts as well as work requirements for eligibility for the program. On June 28, 2018, the U.S. Senate passed the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. Now the two bills will go to a conference committee in order to reconcile the differences between them. The current Farm Bill expires on September 30, 2018.

U.S. House of Representatives Farm Bill 2018

Under the US House of Representatives’ Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (H.R. 2), SNAP spending is cut by $20 billion over 10 years. Families whose income is marginally above the cutoff of 130% of the poverty line would no longer receive federal benefits for food or utilities. The House Farm Bill also limits access to SNAP through stricter work requirements and requires that parents meet state child support payment guidelines to be eligible. These cuts to SNAP were met with near universal criticism from advocates for the program, food security and nutrition experts, and researchers. On May 18, 2018, the House bill was voted down, and debate over its policies on SNAP continued. A second vote on the legislation occurred on June 21, 2018 and passed narrowly along party lines, 213 to 211. To read more about the House legislation, see the resources below

Government Information

US Department of Agriculture 2018 Farm Bill & Legislative Principles

House Committee on Agriculture 2018 Farm Bill Updates

Farm Bill 2018 House Bill: Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (H.R. 2)

Congressional Budget Office Review of U.S. House of Representatives 2018 Farm Bill

NGO and Advocacy Group Responses

Food Research and Action Center

Foodcorps

Hunger Solutions New York

The Leadership Conference

Research Organizations

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Urban Institute

Other Organizations

Union of Concerned Scientists

American Public Health Association

U.S. Senate Farm Bill 2018

The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 passed out of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry with bipartisan support on June 13, 2018, and on June 28, 2018, the legislation passed on the U.S. Senate floor by a strong majority vote, 86-11. The Senate legislation does not include the stricter work requirements contained in the U.S. House of Representatives’ Farm Bill legislation and does not include any significant budget cuts to the program. The Senate bill expands a 2014 program that provided job training for SNAP participants. The legislation also makes it easier for retailers to receive participant discounts for providing healthy foods to SNAP beneficiaries. The bill was met with much more support than the House version.