No Drastic SNAP Changes Expected in Senate Farm Bill

Politico says the Senate is not expected to make any drastic changes to SNAP as it works to reauthorize the farm bill. Those comments came from Senate Ag Chair Pat Roberts during a speech before anti-hunger advocates on Tuesday morning.

While speaking to the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, Roberts said again that he’ll oppose efforts to introduce block grants to SNAP. He defended the program as an important part of the farm bill and one that’s essential to garner the needed votes to pass a farm bill.

“I think we can make efficiencies,” he said, “but we’re not going to drastically change the program.” That was his answer to a question about the “Harvest Box” concept proposed by the White House in its fiscal 2019 budget.

He said there are a lot of things to take care of before even looking at the Harvest Box idea as a potential pilot program, calling it “way down the list.” The chair of the House Ag Committee’s subcommittee on nutrition called the idea of a Harvest Box a “bad idea that’s getting more attention than it deserves.

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