Farm bill

The incoming Congress must do better for farmers and hungry Americans

At the very last second, Congress did just enough to keep hungry Americans and farmers afloat as 2025 kicks off.

Following months of legislative gridlock, the last Congress went out with a whimper — a stopgap funding package passed in late December that averted a government shutdown and extended the outdated 2018 farm bill for a second time.

The farm bill is a key piece of legislation generally renewed every five years that provides a variety of subsidies to farmers as well as food stamps to those treading water financially. A new Congress is in session now, and it must do better.

The 2018 rendition of the farm bill expired in the fall of 2023, and Congress has yet to work out a new one. This most recent extension does at least come with some $31 billion in natural and economic disaster aid for farmers, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. It will also keep food assistance dollars flowing.

The farm bill governs price floors on certain crops, insurance and lending programs, conservation efforts and the food stamp program, called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

All of that is critical for keeping food flowing to American tables, and it’s mind-bendingly complicated, having implications not only for the agriculture industry but for the entire U.S. economy. A serious Congress needs to work through each issue carefully. That means taking a serious look at the problems that have developed across the agricultural industry and the government’s role in them. Smaller farm operations that embody an American way of life need to be protected alongside agribusiness giants.

One thing we know for sure is that Congress should not roll back SNAP benefits. Anti-hunger advocates say that SNAP benefits aren’t enough as it is. The high cost of everything families need is already squeezing budgets and leaving little room for a nutritious diet even as inflation rates have leveled off.

In the 2023 fiscal year, an average of 42.1 million Americans per month received SNAP benefi ts, at an average of $211.93 per participant per month, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Federal SNAP spending totaled $112.8 billion, the agency says. In Texas, a family of three can get up to $766 in monthly SNAP benefi ts, according to Health and Human Services. SNAP isn’t without its issues, but it’s one of the best social safety net programs we have, and it should be preserved.

In the wake of the last Congress’ failures, the new one has an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and find a bipartisan solution. Farmers need that, and so do hungry Americans.

—Dallas Morning News Editorial Board