With House Republicans bogged down in budget discussions, the conservative group Heritage Action accused Agriculture Committee chairman Michael Conaway of being unwilling “to cut a paltry amount of federal spending from his committee.” A spokeswoman for Conaway dismissed the criticism as part of “Heritage Action’s long-running campaign against America’s farmers and ranchers.”
Budget chairwoman Diane Black says her committee will not vote on a budget blueprint until July, nearly three months later than the April 15 target for an agreement. Fiscal conservatives want $200 billion in cuts over 10 years from mandatory programs, up from the $150 billion that was under discussion before this week. Farm bill programs and social safety net programs such as food stamps could bear the brunt of the reductions. Conaway was joined by Agriculture Committee members in a letter this spring to budget writers arguing that the 2014 farm law has generated larger-than-expected savings and that fiscal breathing room was needed in writing the 2018 farm bill.
In a statement that singled out Conaway, a Texas Republican, Heritage Action urged cuts in crop subsidies and other farm bill programs such as food stamps. “The farm bill alone is projected to cost nearly $1 trillion over the next 10 years, and work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) alone would yield significant savings,” said the anti-tax group.
The Heritage Foundation estimates savings of $9.7 billion in fiscal 2018 if the government limited food stamp benefits to ABAWDs who are employed, looking for work, or preparing for work. At present, they can receive only 90 days of benefits in a three-year period unless they work at least 80 hours a month or spend that much time in a job-training program or in workfare. States can waive the 90-day limit during periods of high unemployment. The Trump administration wants to limit state use of waivers and reduce the number of people who automatically qualify for food stamps because they are enrolled in welfare programs. It says those steps would save $50 billion over 10 years.
“From the beginning, he [Conaway] has assured Chairwoman Black and [GOP] leadership that we will be part of the solution,” said the Agriculture Committee spokeswoman. “With the farm economy in one of the biggest slides since the Great Depression, the chairman has been advocating for a budget that won’t exacerbate the conditions of our farmers and ranchers in rural America and that won’t impede development of the next farm bill.”
Aside from the topline numbers on military spending or potential cuts in mandatory programs, budget negotiators have provided few specifics about programs that might be cut or by how much. A CNN story said “a large portion of the proposed budget savings would need to come from agriculture programs” and then quoted Conaway as saying “$50 billion is a lot of money.”
Roll Call said Conaway was among committee chairmen who were part of budget negotiations. “He has push backed against conservatives’ call for deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [food stamps], saying he needs to preserve some of those savings to create a ‘glide path’ off SNAP in order to get a farm bill passed next year,” the paper said.