GOP Platform at Odds with Passage of Farm Bill
The farm bill has been sitting in limbo during the August recess, and the Republican platform highlights one obstacle to its passage.
The platform calls for turning food stamps into block grants for states -- a proposal made by Paul Ryan in his budget. "The food stamp program now accounts for nearly 80 percent of the entire USDA budget. In finding ways to fight fraud and abuse, the Congress should consider block-granting that program to the states, along with the other domestic nutrition programs," the platform says.
The problem with that plan: It makes passage of the farm bill much more difficult, because nutrition programs are the component most important to urban and suburban legislators.
The platform calls for turning food stamps into block grants for states -- a proposal made by Paul Ryan in his budget. "The food stamp program now accounts for nearly 80 percent of the entire USDA budget. In finding ways to fight fraud and abuse, the Congress should consider block-granting that program to the states, along with the other domestic nutrition programs," the platform says.
The problem with that plan: It makes passage of the farm bill much more difficult, because nutrition programs are the component most important to urban and suburban legislators.
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