House GOP Agriculture bill advances out of committee

The House Agriculture Committee voted to advance legislation that would make significant changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as a part of the effort to institute federal spending cuts to pay for President Trump’s legislative agenda. 

The legislation directs states to cover a portion of SNAP benefit costs, narrows eligibility requirements for the program, and aims to prevent the federal government from being able to increase monthly benefits in the future.

It will head to the Budget Committee, which will combine it into legislation advanced by other panels to form the megabill of Trump's priorities.

The bill directs states to be responsible for a portion of the program’s benefits costs, with how much a state pays in part determined by its payment error rate. States with the lowest payment error rates would be required to front five percent of SNAP benefits, while states with the highest payment error rates would front 25 percent of benefits.

Work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents would also tighten under the plan, which calls for increasing the age threshold at which such adults must continue to work to qualify from up to 54 to 64 years of age.

Republicans on the committee sought to cut over $230 billion as GOP lawmakers across other committees look to slash federal spending in an effort to cover the costs of Trump’s agenda. 

Democrats have criticized the legislation, which they warn could lead to states moving to cut their own benefits. 

Additionally, Democrats argue the legislation would make it more difficult for Congress to pass a bipartisan farm bill this year. 

“Instead of working with Democrats to lower costs from President Trump’s across-the-board tariffs, House Republicans have decided to pull the rug out from under families by cutting the SNAP benefits that 42 million Americans rely on to put food on the table – all to fund a tax cut for billionaires,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee said in a statement.