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Farm Bill Ready for the Floor: House and Senate leadership have agreed to a five-year farm bill reauthorization, with the House expected to approve it tomorrow. The bill contains an $8 billion cut over ten years to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by restricting states' use of a nominal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) payment to trigger a larger SNAP benefit. 

To date, 16 states have employed this option by providing a LIHEAP payment as low as $1 annually. The final bill would require a $20 annual payment to trigger the use of the Standard Utility Allowance.

For those individuals who have been under the 'heat and eat' policy, it is estimated that the policy change will result in a loss of $90 in monthly benefits. 

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has provided this summary of the nutrition section of the bill.

The expected LIHEAP/SNAP cut is the one budget cut to SNAP. The House had proposed cuts of nearly $40 billion. 

Given the size of the House cuts originally, a number of national hunger and nutrition organizations are opposing the cut but are not urging defeat of the bill. Others are urging a 'no' vote on the legislation. No amendments will be allowed when the bill is debated.   

There are other policy changes to the program and more detail will be made available upon further analysis.