Congressman Rick Allen, R-Georgia 12th District, said he is proud of the five-year Farm Bill he helped vote out of the House Agriculture Committee last week and that it will be good for the district's farmers.
Allen is one of three representatives from Georgia, two Republicans and one Democrat, on the 46-member committee. The legislation, officially the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, is often called the Farm Bill, but would authorize all of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's programs, with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program being by far the largest part, for five years. This legislation would replace the 2014 bill and set the course of SNAP, farm assistance and rural development programs through fiscal year 2023.
"As a member of the House Ag Committee I was thrilled to work with my colleagues to craft a Farm Bill that works for our Georgia 12th farmers," Allen said in a phone interview Monday.
The committee approved its markup, or a package including the original bill with any proposed amendments, April 18 on a strictly party-line 26-20 vote, with Republicans on the "yes" side. Much of the opposition from Democrats has focused on changes to SNAP, the program historically known as Food Stamps.
"It was very partisan in the markup process, and I don't know when it gets to the House floor, because down there folks have to post up, and I can't imagine voting against this farm bill," Allen said.
The bill maintains previously established spending caps and provides "actually a little less," in spending, he said.
"Obviously it makes significant changes to provide certainty for our farmers to ensure that our country has an abundant food supply," Allen said. "Our farm economy is obviously not what it was five years ago when the last farm bill was written. Our farm income is down 52 percent."
Cotton included
An aspect of the bill important to many farmers in southeastern Georgia is the inclusion of cotton as a fully covered commodity under farm income support programs. After a World Trade Organization settlement with Brazil over objections to U.S. cotton subsidies, the 2014 Farm Bill, enacted under President Barack Obama, excluded cotton as a covered crop. Corn, soybeans and wheat remained among the covered commodities.
A change Allen supported to restore cotton as a covered crop by recognizing it as "seed cotton" is already being implemented under a different bill, which President Donald Trump signed into law in February.
"Actually, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 added seed cotton back to Title I as a covered commodity, and the Farm Bill we passed out of committee maintains that policy," Allen said.
By being included in the budget bill, payments to cotton growers will already be available for the 2018 crop if cotton prices fall below certain levels. Title I is the part of the law governing the U.S. Department of Agriculture funding that deals with the farm support programs.
Rural broadband
The Agriculture and Nutrition Act also includes programs for rural development funding through the USDA. As cleared by the committee, the proposed 2018 bill would back grants for expansion of broadband internet access in rural acres.
"We do have authorization for substantial annual appropriations for rural broadband, and it requires USDA to establish modern broadband standards, which is very important for the 12th District of Georgia. ...," Allen said. "We have got to get broadband to all of our rural areas."
Broadband is important to access "high-paying jobs in an ever-changing economy" and many people prefer to live in rural areas, and some people can use it to work from home, he said.
He and other Republicans are talking about aspects of the Farm Bill in terms of creating and filling jobs. Allen cites a count of 6.2 million jobs currently available nationwide, including 2.4 million jobs created since Trump took office.
"Tax reform has helped the economy, and we're growing jobs, and we address that in the Farm Bill as well, so I think it's an excellent piece of legislation," Allen said. "I just hope that our friends would get on board when it comes to the House floor, and that's the next step."
SNAP requirements
But requirements for certain SNAP food aid recipients to work or participate in job training are an aspect where Democrats and Republicans appear to disagree even on what the bill entails.
"Basically what we're allowing people to do is to remain on the programs but give them the opportunity at this training, because obviously if they get trained up, then they get upward mobility, which we see happening today, they won't need to participate in these programs," Allen said.
The existing law already includes work or training requirements for able-bodied adults, ages 18-49 and without dependent children, to remain eligible for SNAP. But states obtained waivers under the previous administration. Meanwhile, other states have implemented job-training programs and had success with them, Allen said.
The 2018 bill, as marked up by the committee, would make the requirements mandatory for able-bodied adults, up to age 59, without dependent children. Unless in training, these adults would have to work at least 20 hours a week to qualify for SNAP.
"The SNAP budget stays the same, and anything that we save we're going to put right back into education and, like I said, trying to assist folks in achieving the American dream," Allen said.
Democrats' objections
But Democrats on the Agriculture Committee argued that the bill cuts SNAP benefits. Some of the funds now going directly to food assistance would instead fund the training programs.
"This bill cuts SNAP benefits by over $20 billion and reduces or eliminates benefits for nearly two million kids, veterans, working families, and other vulnerable adults. It is shameful," Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts, ranking Democrat on the nutrition subcommittee, said in a statement posted on his website the day of the committee's vote.
In remarks to the Agriculture Committee, Georgia's Democrat on the committee, Rep. David Scott of the 13th District, called the bill "mean, hurtful, deceitful, un-American, and filled with racial vicissitudes." He claimed that the work requirements play on a racist mental image of able African-American men not working but noted that 36 percent of SNAP recipients are white families.
Herald reporter Al Hackle may be reached at (912) 489-9458.