by Monica Palmer
The big game is this weekend. So, what do you think? Will it be the Seahawks or the Broncos?
I’m not really a sports nut, but I do enjoy the spirit of camaraderie and competition among sports fans. This Sunday, I’ll be rooting for the Seahawks. I know absolutely nothing about the team. I’ve never even seen them play a game, but I have to root for them, because my husband’s cheering for the Broncos. I find that taking sides makes watching the game much more enjoyable…especially when my team wins.
The whole winning and losing thing is what I’ve often admired about sports. Regardless of what happens before or during the game, in the end, there will be one clear winner and one clear loser. That’s not generally the case in real life and it’s certainly not the case in politics.
After an overtime of about two years, the culmination of a rather big political “game” is on the horizon, as the Senate prepares to vote on the farm bill that just passed House this week.
This new 5-year farm bill, which authorizes almost $1 trillion dollars in spending on farm and nutrition programs, is expected to pass the Senate and get the sign off from President Obama. After years of contention and conflict, the passage of this bill must clearly be seen as a win, right? Well, sort of.
The bill still contains $8.6 billion in cuts to the food stamp program or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but the cuts will be less than the $39 billion proposed in the House’s version of the bill passed in September of last year.
From Missouri’s perspective, these new cuts aren’t really a loss, because the cuts will only affect “heat and eat” states. These states, which include California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, boost individual food stamp benefits by linking their LIHEAP (Low Income Household Energy Assistance Program) and SNAP benefits. Some critics see this as a loophole that needs to be closed.
From a national perspective, though, the lower cuts are not really a win, because ANY cut during a time when families are still struggling is too much. The $8.6 billion cut to SNAP would cause an estimated 850,000 low-income households to lose approximately $90 every month. Keep in mind, two-thirds of SNAP households include a child, senior or disabled person.
The final version of the farm bill also includes $205 million increase to TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) funds for food banks to purchase commodity goods. That seems like a definite win. However, if you consider the fact that many of the families who were affected by the $11 billion in SNAP cuts that took place on November 1 of 2013 are turning to food agencies to help make up the difference, you will see that the funds will not replace all of the meals lost.
This final version of the farm bill is well over 900 pages long, and there are quite a few fumbles and upsets that have people cheering and grumbling depending on which team they’re on. My personal pick for the “Farm Bill Play of the Day,” though is a relatively small national program that will allow SNAP recipients to double their benefits at farmers markets. When I read about this program, it made me very excited, because it’s doing what I think the farm bill was originally intended to do. It’s supporting farmers and assisting the needy to nourish their families with healthy foods.
In the end, it’s true what they say: it’s not about whether you win or lose; it’s how you play the game.