"The sweeping agriculture law hasn’t been renewed since 2018."

"A battle that ties food aid for needy families with crop subsidies for American farmers may stall efforts to renew a sweeping agricultural policy law, forcing Congress to consider delaying action on the $1.5 trillion proposal until after this fall’s elections.

The law, known as the farm bill, is set to expire Sept. 30. It typically draws bipartisan support because it combines resources for such programs as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for low-income families with updates to farm supports, including commodity price guarantees and crop insurance.

This year, however, the Republican-controlled House is writing a version of the bill that would spend less on future low-income food assistance and more on large-scale commodity farmers, while the Democratic-controlled Senate is mulling a proposal to do the opposite.

Lawmakers say the probable outcome is a stalemate that would force a temporary extension of existing policies. That would benefit Democrats and their allies by preserving the higher nutrition benefits in current law. But it would mostly leave commodity assistance unchanged, frustrating Republicans and their allies in the agricultural community."

Jacob Bogage reports for the Washington Post June 4, 2024. [2]