Month: May 2023

Debt deal would boost SNAP outlays marginally, says CBO The debt limit deal between President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy would expand rather than cut SNAP enrollment and spending — an unexpected result given Republican insistence on broader application of work requirements, said the Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday…. Continue reading

Debt deal toughens SNAP rules for some, eases them for others — White House House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed in debt limit negotiations with President Biden to exempt able-bodied veterans and homeless Americans from a 90-day limit on SNAP benefits, said two White House officials. But the agreement also applies… Continue reading

USDA, DHS dedicate agro-defense lab approved in 9/11 aftermath Two decades after the September 11 attacks shaped American resolve against terror, the federal government dedicated a $1.25 billion agro-defense laboratory in eastern Kansas on Wednesday to protect the U.S. food supply from zoonotic animal diseases. The National Bio and Agro-Defense… Continue reading

Don’t let climate steer USDA conservation work, say House Republicans Congress “must remove the climate restrictions” on $20 billion in funding that had been given to the USDA to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase climate resiliency, said two senior Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee on Tuesday. Chairman Glenn… Continue reading

SNAP work requirement waivers are element in debt ceiling debate House Republicans returned to one of their original targets in the debt limit debate with President Biden — the authority of states to exempt able-bodied adults from the 90-day limit on food stamps unless they work at least 20 hours… Continue reading

USDA announces $4.3 billion smorgasbord of ag aid Farmers and ranchers who suffered losses due to natural disasters ranging from drought to hurricanes last year will receive $3.7 billion in aid in coming months, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The USDA also announced $500 million in additional funding for the… Continue reading

With cuts, USDA will ‘do more with less,’ say House Republicans Split on party lines, a House subcommittee approved a USDA spending bill on Thursday that would rescind $6 billion earmarked for clean energy and farm loan forgiveness and end work on fair play rules in livestock marketing. The bill… Continue reading

Stricter limit on SNAP benefits faces vote in House committee House Republicans proposed broader application of a 90-day limit on food stamps for able-bodied adults as part of the annual USDA-FDA funding bill on Wednesday. The proposal mirrors the GOP position in debt ceiling negotiations with President Biden. Arizona must… Continue reading

Activists secure public contracts to advance food justice Food activists released an extensive report on Tuesday showing how reforms in the public food procurement process — from schools to hospitals to municipal governments — could shift the nation’s food system and advance food justice policies. The report, from the Food… Continue reading

Farm policies fuel grasslands destruction, undermine climate and biodiversity goals The U.S.’s grasslands are critical habitats for pollinators and birds and hold vast amounts of carbon in their soils. But our agricultural policies — particularly the Renewable Fuel Standard and crop insurance subsidies — are incentivizing the rapid destruction of… Continue reading