Farm Bill passes House committee with $300B SNAP cuts. What it means for 3 million Texans

Yahoo

21-05-2025

A sweeping Farm Bill that includes $300 billion in cuts to food assistance programs has cleared the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, raising concerns for millions of Texans who rely on these benefits to put food on the table.
Traditionally bipartisan, the Farm Bill has become a point of sharp political contention, primarily over funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). House Republicans are pushing to reduce SNAP funding by up to $300 billion over the next decade, citing fiscal responsibility and a desire to shift resources toward other agricultural priorities. Democrats oppose the cuts, warning they would deepen food insecurity, especially in rural communities where SNAP is widely used.
Last year, the Farm Bill reached this same stage but stalled in Congress due to political divisions over proposed SNAP cuts, then at a significantly lower amount of $30 billion. Since then, changes in congressional leadership have increased that figure tenfold, intensifying the partisan divide. These disagreements prevented the bill from advancing, leading lawmakers to abandon the effort and extend the 2018 Farm Bill for another year as elections approached and political sensitivities around food assistance grew.
Originally set to expire in 2023, the Farm Bill — typically renewed every five years — has since been extended twice, with the current extension set to expire on Sept. 30, 2025.
The House Agriculture Committee voted 29-25 along party lines to advance legislation that would cut up to $300 billion in food aid spending to help fund Republicans' domestic policy megabill and some farm programs. The vote sends the measure to the House Budget Committee for further consideration before a full House floor vote.
If passed, the GOP proposal would create the largest overhaul in decades to SNAP, which helps more than 42 million Americans afford food, by requiring states to share the cost of SNAP benefits. The ongoing standoff over SNAP funding remains the main obstacle to passing a new Farm Bill, placing vital programs for both farmers and low-income families at risk.
Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Illinois) told Brownfield Ag News late last month that many Democrats voted against last year's Farm Bill draft because of the potential cuts, which were far less. With that number now increasing significantly, it is unclear whether this draft will advance further or if the bill will become gridlocked again.
With Republicans now controlling the House, Senate, and the presidency, the new Farm Bill is expected to reflect more conservative priorities, including a focus on fiscal responsibility, spending reductions and shifts in resource allocation.
SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federal program that helps low-income Americans buy food.
More than 42 million people across the United States receive SNAP benefits, including approximately 3.5 million Texans, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. In Texas, over $600 million in benefits are loaded each month onto Lone Star cards for families in need.
Benefit amounts vary by household size. According to the USDA, the maximum monthly SNAP benefits are:
1 person: $292
2 people: $536
3 people: $768
4 people: $975
5 people: $1,158
6 people: $1,390
7 people: $1,536
8 people: $1,756
Each additional person: $220
Only two Texans currently serve on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee: Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-13), who represents the Amarillo area, and Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-15), whose district includes McAllen. Both were appointed to the committee for the 118th Congress, which began in January 2023.
The committee's recent 29-25 vote on the Farm Bill was a strict party-line split, with all Republicans voting in favor and all Democrats opposed. This means both Texas lawmakers supported the SNAP cuts included in the legislation.
De La Cruz has been particularly outspoken in her support for the Farm Bill and its proposed changes. While she acknowledges that approximately 25% of her district's population relies on SNAP benefits, she has raised concerns about what she sees as excessive allocations and potential abuse within the program.
'I want to be very clear: I support SNAP and the benefits that SNAP gives to families who are in a time of need," she said in a hearing last month. "Many South Texans really need and rely on this critical program for their family and for feeding their family. I take it personal when I hear tactics and fear mongering and rhetoric from the other side of the aisle because you're talking about my people. You're talking about people that I live with and in my community."
At the same time, De La Cruz criticized the Democratic Party's portrayal of the Republican effort to cut SNAP funding, describing it as exaggerated and misleading. She argued that, what she described as 'fear tactics,' unfairly paint Republicans as unsympathetic to struggling families, when in her view, the intent is to protect the program's long-term viability by addressing fraud and abuse.
'We need to stop the rhetoric and really the fear tactics when it comes to talking about SNAP and the work we're trying to do in this committee which is to truly give those people who are most in need the benefit that they need," De La Cruz said. "No American should go home and should sleep hungry. Period.'
"It's important that we protect this program because it's feeding people in my community. That being said, we must cut out the fraud and abuse to ensure those that rightfully need this program is in place not for today but for tomorrow," she added.
However, not everyone agrees with De La Cruz's framing of the issue. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) sharply criticized her vote, accusing her of siding with wealthy interests at the expense of vulnerable Texans.
'While Monica De La Cruz pretends to care about working Texas families and farmers, the only people she's really fighting for are the wealthy benefactors of Republican's tax cuts for billionaires," said DCCC Spokesperson Madison Andrus after last week's vote. "This bill will rip food off the tables of her district's most vulnerable children and take money directly out of farmers' pockets – De La Cruz's vote is a direct betrayal of the very people she vowed to protect and Texas' 15th won't forget it.'
The proposed Farm Bill includes several key changes aimed at supporting farmers and agricultural producers.
Price Loss Coverage (PLC) reference prices increased by 10% to 20%: PLC is a safety net program that helps farmers when market prices for certain crops fall below a set reference price. Raising these reference prices means farmers could receive higher payments to cover losses if crop prices drop.
Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) guarantee raised to 90%: ARC provides revenue support if a farmer's crop income falls below a certain percentage of their historical average. Increasing the guarantee to 90% means farmers will be protected against a greater share of income loss during bad crop years.
Expansion of eligible base acres by 30 million acres: Base acres are the land areas used to calculate subsidy payments. Expanding eligible acres allows more farmland to qualify for support payments, potentially increasing the number of acres that farmers can receive assistance for.
Payment limit increase from $125,000 to $155,000, indexed to inflation: Farm subsidy payments to individual producers are capped to prevent excessive payouts. Raising the limit allows farmers to receive higher payments, with the cap adjusted over time to keep up with inflation.
Crop insurance support — Increasing Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) premium subsidies from 65% to 80%: SCO is a type of crop insurance that helps cover losses beyond standard policies. Increasing premium subsidies means farmers pay less out of pocket for this insurance, making it more affordable to protect their crops.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funding rises from $2.66 billion in fiscal year 2026 to $3.26 billion by fiscal year 2031. EQIP helps farmers implement conservation practices like soil health and water quality improvements.
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) funding increases from $1.3 billion in 2026 to $1.38 billion in 2031. CSP rewards farmers who maintain high environmental stewardship on their land.
Members of Congress who sit on the Senate and House Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry are primarily responsible for drafting farm bills.
The Farm Bill is a $1.5 trillion program that consists of a lot more than just crops and livestock. In fact, it impacts everyone in one way or another, whether through school lunch and government assistance or support of natural resources, such as our forests.
The legislation is broken into 12 sections, or titles. Each title addresses different aspects of agriculture and related sectors. Here's a summary of each title:
Commodities: Covers price and income support for farmers producing non-perishable crops, dairy and sugar, along with agricultural disaster assistance.
Conservation: Includes programs for natural resource conservation on working lands and land retirement and easement programs.
Trade: Covers food export subsidy programs and international food aid.
Nutrition: Encompasses SNAP and other nutrition programs to assist low-income Americans, as well as school lunches.
Credit: Focuses on federal loan programs to help farmers access financial credit.
Rural development: Supports rural economic growth through business and community development, rural housing and infrastructure.
Research, extension, and related matters: Funds farm and food research, education and extension programs.
Forestry: Addresses forest-specific conservation programs.
Energy: Encourages biofuel production, renewable energy installation and energy-related research.
Horticulture: Includes farmers market programs, research funding for horticultural crops and organic farming initiatives.
Crop Insurance: Provides subsidies for crop insurance premiums and supports the development of insurance policies.
Miscellaneous: Covers various advocacy and outreach areas such as support for beginning, socially disadvantaged, and veteran farmers, agricultural labor safety, workforce development and livestock health.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Farm Bill advances with cuts to food stamps. How many Texans use SNAP?