Ste Journal-Register - Davis: Farm part of farm bill likely to pass

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By Doug Finke

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis said Thursday he thinks Congress will pass a farm bill by the end of September dealing with agriculture programs such as crop insurance.

Whether a bill passes that also deals with the food stamp program is another question.

Speaking to The State Journal-Register editorial board, the Taylorville Republican said his preference is for Congress to pass a bill that deals with both agriculture programs and nutritional programs that help low-income households pay for food. He said that is the only way to guarantee that "common-sense reforms" will be made to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP.

"My preference would be to marry them back up again," Davis said. "If we don't, we get no common-sense reforms. There's no incentive for those on the other side who don't want to see any cuts. There's no hammer."

Traditionally, food stamps have been part of the farm bill that deals with agricultural issues like crop insurance and subsidies. The Democrat-controlled Senate passed a farm bill that will cost $955 billion over 10 years. About 80 percent of that money goes toward nutrition programs like food stamps. The Senate version included cuts to food stamps, although they were not as deep as those proposed in the House.

The Republican-controlled House, however, was unable to pass a farm bill that included cuts to the food stamp program. The House then took the unusual step of separating out nutrition funding and passing a bill that deals only with agriculture programs.

"We got a lot of criticism because we separated the food nutrition side," Davis said. "That was a way to get votes for the ag side."

Congress returns from its summer break next week. Davis said he thinks a farm bill dealing with agricultural issues will pass by the end of the month when the current farm bill will expire. But there's no guarantee the House and Senate will be able to resolve their differences over cuts to the food stamp program.

"If nothing is done, the current programs remain as is," Davis said.

About 48 million Americans receive food stamps. The numbers have soared since the onset of the recession. The average benefit is $130 a month per person or $270 a month per household.

Democrats have largely resisted cuts to the food stamp program, while Republicans have called for reductions. Davis helped negotiate the House farm bill that cut $8 billion from the program.

"Will that mean that some people do not receive food nutrition benefits? Sure it will," Davis said. "We're making sure we get the benefits to those who need them the most. If we can't make some common-sense changes to our programs, we are going to continue down our path of never-ending deficit spending and never-ending, out-of-control debt."

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