Farm Bill Compromise Reached After SNAP Controversies Resolved

Erica Werner and Jeff Stein report that lawmakers say they have reached an agreement on the federal farm bill after months of stalled negotiations. The $400 billion bill covers farm subsidies, food assistance programs, and conservation programs.

Both the House and the Senate passed bills over the summer, but disputes over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program kept the legislation from moving forward. House Republicans sought to add a work requirement for recipients and put restrictions on the ability of states to waive requirements.

Senate Republicans did not provide details about the compromise but say the revised bill will resemble the original Senate version, which did not include a work requirement.

“Negotiators also feuded over a forestry section of the farm bill, as the White House made a late push for provisions that would have allowed for the clearing of material from forests that they argued help spread fires,” say Werner and Stein. This issue emerged after the wildfires in California earlier this month.