Farm Bill Moves in Senate
Congress is in recess this week for the 4th of July Holiday. Last Thursday, the Senate passed its version of the 2018 Farm Bill with strong bipartisan support. The Senate’s action sets the stage for the next step in the process, where the House and Senate versions of the bill must be reconciled through a “conference” process. Negotiations may be tense, as the House version includes strict work requirements for recipients' Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and the Senate version does not contain these provisions. Important for CDA members, neither bill contains any provisions that would limit SNAP choice.
The conference committee members will be named after the recess and they will negotiate a compromise bill that can pass both chambers before the existing Farm Bill expires on Sept. 30.