Republican Congressman Rodney Davis of Taylorville says President Obama is premature in threatening to veto the House’s version of the farm bill. The White House says $2 billion dollars in annual cuts to the food stamp program in the House’s plan goes too far, and will leave some Americans hungry.
Meanwhile, the Senate bill looks at cutting the food stamp program, known as SNAP, by about $400 million dollars a year. Davis says before the White House has any say, both measures should go to a conference committee, where lawmakers can hammer out a final plan.
“You’ve got to remember that the SNAP program has grown immensely since 2008 and 2009, and a lot of that’s attributable to the fact that we haven’t had a good economy and people can’t get jobs, and we need to make sure that we are able to get the benefits to those who need them the most.”
The White House also says the House’s plan should make deeper cuts to farm subsidies like crop insurance. The Senate has already approved its version of the Farm Bill, and the House is expected to vote on its plan this week.