House Agriculture Committee chairman Michael Conaway said his plans for “meaningful reforms” in food stamps, namely limiting access to benefits and stringent work requirements, “may very well make the 2018 farm bill harder” to pass than the 2014 law, enacted 16 months behind schedule. “I am committed 110 percent to getting both [food stamps and farm subsidies] reauthorized on time” in 2018, he said, but held open the possibility of splitting the topics into separate bills for House debate.
“In all probability, they [food stamps and farm subsidies] will be together,” said Conaway, telling an audience at the Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit that he was aware of the danger of dividing the coalition of agricultural, nutrition and environmental and conservation groups that traditionally power the farm bill to passage.
In June 2013, the House defeated a farm bill for the first time when Tea Party-influenced Republicans demanded the largest cuts in food stamps in a generation. Representatives passed separate food stamp and farm subsidy bills, which were united during negotiations with the Senate over a final version of the bill. Conservatives wanted to save $40 billion over 10 years by restricting eligibility to food stamps.
Conaway said he wanted to toughen work rules for able-bodied adults without dependents, ABAWDs in nutrition argot, without affecting the children, elderly and disabled who are two-thirds of food stamp recipients.
“Work is going to be a big deal for people who are otherwise able to do it,” Conaway told reporters afterward. ABAWDs are limited to 90 days of benefits in a three-year period except during periods of high unemployment. Conaway said state waivers to the 90-day rule merited examination. “We want to make sure that this makes sense, that the policy is correct.” A requirement for work training “is entirely appropriate if in fact they are going to get help from taxpayers.” Better job skills “is a big piece of that.”
The chairman recounted his childhood in the “oil patch,” when his father moved from town to town following jobs in the oil fields, and said people should be more willing to relocate. “I am not sympathetic with that,” he said, referring to complaints of job scarcity.
Conaway also said, “Food aid is one of the things I would cut. There are other things I might cut ahead of that. It all has to be on the table.” The White House proposed elimination of the McGovern-Dole school food program in a budget package last week.
Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts told reporters later in the day that former Sen. Robert Dole, a fellow Kansan, had called him to express concern about the program that bears his name. “I told him not to worry,” said Roberts, who also indicated opposition to talk of eliminating the Food for Peace program, which ships U.S.-grown commodities to hunger spots.