In the News

The mosaic of interests, the political horse-trading, the willingness to hold hostage the food stamp program: The farm bill defines lawmaking down. In the age of gridlock, incremental changes are cast as victories.

The deficit will be reduced by more than $16 billion, largely by rejiggering agriculture subsidies, including elimination of direct payments to farmers for not growing crops. The cuts to food stamps are viewed through a harm-reduction lens (more characteristic of a developing country): House Republicans wanted to chop $40 billion from the program, the Senate looked at $4 billion, and the final compromise was $8 billion. SNAP recipients won’t get the heave-ho, they’ll just have less to eat.

There were a few bright spots. The compromise showcased the negotiating savvy and leadership skills of Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Medina, the most impressive freshman lawmaker in the Pacific Northwest. DelBene fought and lost on a few issues including SNAP and dairy reforms, but she managed to incorporate into the bill an employment and training pilot modeled after Washington state’s Basic, Food, Employment and Training program. She also helped secure funding for specialty crops and organic farming, a boon to Washington’s fruit and vegetable farmers.

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