Latest news with #HouseCommitteeonAgriculture
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Rep. Messmer announces re-election bid in 8th District
U.S. Rep. Mark Messmer, a Jasper Republican, on Tuesday announced he is seeking re-election to the Indiana Eighth District seat in the U.S. House. President Donald Trump is endorsing Messmer's re-election campaign, the candidate said in a news release, quoting Trump as saying: 'Congressman Mark Messmer is a Fantastic Representative for the Great People of Indiana's 8th Congressional District!' Messmer, who won his first term in 2024, serves on the House Committee on Agriculture, House Armed Services Committee, and House Committee on Education and Workforce. The congressman said he is working with Trump in crucial areas to ensure Americans have a secure and prosperous future. He also said he is an advocate for making the Trump tax cuts permanent, supports the elimination of 'harmful and divisive policies like DEI,' and is working to increase opportunities for entrepreneurs and local farmers, according to his news release. Of his reasons for seeking office, Messmer said, 'We must be bold and unapologetic in fighting for the principles of the American Founding. We have a leader in the White House who is working every day for the American people and not special interests, and we need members in Congress who will fight with President Trump to make sure America continues to be an exceptional nation filled with promise for the next generation. I will work tirelessly in the days and weeks ahead to earn your vote and continue to fight for Indiana and our conservative principles in my next term.' The Eighth District, which includes Terre Haute, spans 21 southwestern Indiana counties and sprawls from the Ohio River to Interstate 74 in Fountain County and is considered solidly Republican. Mary Allen, an Evansville City Council member, on Monday announced her intent to run as a Democrat for the Eighth District seat. The primary elections in Indiana are Tuesday, May 5, 2026.
The Hill
6 days ago
- Health
- The Hill
Trump administration allows six more states to bar SNAP benefits for processed food
The Trump administration on Monday approved six additional states seeking to ban food stamp recipients from purchasing processed food. Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Texas and Florida received federal waivers to adjust Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) guidelines outlawing the purchase of junk food with state funds in 2026. Colorado was the first blue state to adopt the measure. 'SNAP is a supplemental nutrition program meant to provide health food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being,' Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Monday before signing the waivers. 'That is the stated purpose of the SNAP program, the law states it and President Trump's USDA plans to deliver on it,' she added. Rollins approved the effort in May after Nebraska received the first federal waiver to ban soda and energy drinks from food stamps purchases. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has lauded the measure as a part of his 'Make America Healthy Again' campaign. 'U.S. taxpayers should not be paying to feed kids foods, the poorest kids in our country, with foods that are going to give them diabetes. And then my agency ends up, through Medicaid and Medicare, paying for those injuries,' Kennedy said on Monday. 'We're going to put an end to that, and we're doing it step by step, state by state,' he added. Researchers have long argued that SNAP restrictions are unlikely to change eating patterns, and that it will be costly for the federal government to track 650,000 food and beverage products on the market and 20,000 new products introduced annually, according to economic policy researcher Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach's 2017 testimony before the House Committee on Agriculture. However, Trump administration officials have lauded the effort. 'I hope to see all 50 states join this bold commonsense approach. For too long, the root causes of our chronic disease epidemic have been addressed with lip service only,' said the U.S. Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary, according to NBC News.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Two U.S. reps to headline speaker slate at Johnstown's Showcase for Commerce defense, business expo
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Two congressmen will headline the list of participants in the 34th annual Showcase for Commerce business and defense contracting exposition this upcoming week in Johnstown. Chief Deputy Whip U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Washington, whose 14th Congressional District includes Somerset County, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address during the John P. Murtha Breakfast Friday. House Committee on Agriculture Chairman U.S. Rep. Glenn 'G.T.' Thompson, R-Centre, will address the Government Acquisition Leaders Briefings Thursday. Both events are set to take place inside the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center in downtown Johnstown. 'We have a couple really good keynote addresses planned,' said Linda Thomson, president and CEO of Johnstown Area Regional Industries, which co-hosts Showcase for Commerce with the Cambria Regional Chamber. The U.S. Department of Defense's usual presence will be missing from Showcase. 'We have really relied on industry speakers this year because a lot of the government personnel that we would normally invite are not able to travel,' Showcase for Commerce Chairman Ed Sheehan Jr. said. 'They have travel restrictions in place right now that preclude them from attending these kinds of events, and so we've relied heavily on industry. 'It should be very interesting and more of an industry perspective on things like advanced manufacturing and machine learning and artificial intelligence, an industry perspective on cybersecurity and then also workforce development.' This will be the first Showcase without former U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. since he started serving as the event's congressional sponsor in 2013. The Democrat is no longer in the Senate, having lost last year to then-challenger and now-U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa. Neither McCormick nor U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is expected to attend Showcase this year, but both have offered 'a lot of support,' according to Thomson. A highlight of the event will once again be the opening reception from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday inside 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial downtown. 'The thing we're really excited about this year is that we are sold out as far as the booths (for the opening reception) and we have 13 new participants this year that are having booths, so we feel really good about that,' Cambria Regional Chamber President and CEO Amy Bradley said. 'I think the Showcase continues to evolve, and it's just nice to see new booths wanting to participate and to have such good turnout.' Showcase will begin Wednesday with networking activities, including a golf outing and receptions. Supplier briefings and the government contracting series are scheduled for Thursday. The expo will conclude Friday with a press conference and public exhibition.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Nebraska banning soda, energy drinks from SNAP under first federal waiver
Nebraska has received the first federal waiver to ban soda and energy drinks from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps. The move is set to take effect on Jan. 1 as a part of a broader effort to restrict taxpayer dollars from contributing to the purchase of sugary drinks and junk food under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 'SNAP is about helping families in need get healthy food into their diets, but there's nothing nutritious about the junk we're removing with today's waiver,' Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) said in a Monday press release. Governors in Iowa, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, West Virginia and Colorado are also considering similar changes to SNAP benefits. Program funds are supplied by the USDA and administered individually by states. Recipients right now are able to buy anything except alcohol, tobacco and hot foods. Researchers have long argued that SNAP restrictions are unlikely to change eating patterns, and that it will be costly for the federal government to track 650,000 food and beverage products on the market and 20,000 new products introduced annually, according to economic policy researcher Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach's 2017 testimony before the House Committee on Agriculture. 'The complexity is multiplied because there is no clear standard for defining foods as 'healthy' or 'unhealthy,' or as luxury goods. Creating such standards would be difficult at best, and would entail substantial administrative costs to categorize and track the nutritional profile of each good to produce a SNAP-eligible foods list,' she told lawmakers. 'The list would have to be maintained continuously and communicated to retailers and consumers in real time.' However, Trump administration officials say Nebraska's new initiative falls in line with the 'Make America Healthy Again' agenda of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has largely focused on eliminating disease through food consumption since his confirmation. 'The one place that I would say that we need to really change policy is the SNAP program and food stamps and in school lunches,' Kennedy said in February on Fox News's 'The Ingraham Angle.' 'There, the federal government in many cases is paying for it. And we shouldn't be subsidizing people to eat poison,' he added. Prediabetes now affects 1 in 3 children aged 12-19, while 40 percent of school-aged children and adolescents have at least one chronic condition, according to the USDA. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Epoch Times
13-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
House Republicans Propose Spending Cuts to SNAP Food Program
WASHINGTON—The House Committee on Agriculture on May 12 released a proposed bill intending to cut more than $230 billion of public spending over 10 years, including major cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The committee's draft legislation would make eligibility requirements stricter and require states to share a greater burden of the cost. The committee estimated savings of $290 billion from the legislation. Republicans have long criticized the program—arguing that it disincentivizes people from seeking higher-income employment, which might end their eligibility—and have sought to alter it by imposing 'work requirements,' among other reforms. 'For far too long, the SNAP program has drifted from a bridge to support American households in need to a permanent destination riddled with bureaucratic inefficiencies, misplaced incentives, and limited accountability,' the committee's chairman, Rep. Glenn Thompson Jr. (R-Pa.), said in a statement accompanying the bill. He added that the legislation would be 'encouraging work, cracking down on loopholes exploited by states, and protecting taxpayer dollars.' Related Stories 5/7/2025 5/6/2025 The proposal released by the committee forms part of a sweeping policy bill to implement President Donald Trump's agenda. The panel was instructed to find $230 billion in cuts to offset spending in other parts of the bill. Work requirements for SNAP are also set to become more stringent under the proposal. The legislation would prevent 'able-bodied adults without dependents' from receiving waivers for SNAP benefits, by broadening the age range for work requirements and limiting waivers to 'caregivers of children under 7.' 'Despite a time limit and work requirement enshrined in law for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) on SNAP, only 28 percent of these individuals have earned income from work,' the committee wrote in an explanation of the changes. 'These are able-bodied Americans that we need to work, especially when there are more than seven million open jobs across the country ... Congress must act to restore integrity to work requirements in SNAP.' Other reforms to the program include limits on increasing SNAP benefits beyond inflation, abolishing an anti-obesity education program for beneficiaries, and limiting eligibility to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, which would prevent illegal immigrants from claiming benefits. Democrats on the committee have criticized the legislation. 'Slashing $230 billion from SNAP will take food away from seniors, children, veterans and people with disabilities when costs are already too high. These cuts also drive a stake into the heart of the farm economy,' Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) said in a statement before the bill was released. 'A cut of this size would take $30 billion in revenue away from family farmers who grow our food.' Craig is the committee's ranking member and is running for U.S. Senate in 2026. Even if the legislation is enacted this year, the reforms would take effect over time, which means that SNAP beneficiaries would not be immediately affected. The new state cost-sharing, for instance, would take effect in fiscal year 2028, and many provisions would require the Department of Agriculture to promulgate new regulations that could take several years to finalize.
