House votes to start farm bill amendment work

The amendments cover a wide range of farm programs, but the first one is likely to get the most attention. It’s from Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), and it would restore the $20.5 billion cut from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over 10 years.

{mosads}McGovern said during the rule debate that the farm bill has plenty of programs for farmers, but fails poor and hungry Americans on food assistance.

“[P]oor people in America, hungry people, get a raw deal,” he said. “It’s a rotten thing to do, to cut SNAP by $20.5 billion. It’s a lousy thing to to do throw two million people off this program.”

McGovern added that Republicans allowed many “mean-spirited” amendments in order to trim food aid even more, but House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) rejected the idea that Republicans are being insensitive to the needs of the poor.

“We’re here to help them,” he said. “The Republican Party cares very much about families and children, moms who are trying to make a go of it.”

Sessions added that Republicans more than Democrats are trying to lower taxes for all Americans, and said the farm bill attempts to end the process now in place that allows some to automatically qualify for food stamps when they participate in other programs. Sessions said the bill also disqualifies convicted pedophiles, rapists and murders from the program.

“The SNAP program does not take one calorie off the plate of those who qualify for the program,” Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) added. “We simply close the loopholes that allow states to sign people up into programs without the proper qualifications.”