The Farm Bill is critical to feeding millions of children in the United States of America.
According to a statement by the Children’s Defense Fund in July 2018: “The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, helps feed more than 40 million low-income Americans, including 19.9 million children—more than 1 in 4. Every five years Congress must reauthorize the Farm Bill, which includes provisions related to agriculture, conservation and food, including SNAP that fall under the U.S Department of Agriculture’s domain. SNAP prevents children and families from going hungry and improves their overall health. Research also shows children with access to food stamps are nearly 20 percent more likely to complete high school.”
Lawson and Scott were two of only five Democrats who voted for the Farm Bill. Most Democrats opposed it after Republicans added a last minute rule to the bill that prevents the House from taking up legislation to end the country’s support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen against Houthi fighters backed by Iran. The rule will last until the Democrats take control of the House on Thursday. On Thursday, Democrats will be able to immediately pass legislation to pull American funding and military assistance from Saudi Arabia's operations in Yemen.
Critics accused Lawson and Scott of not caring about the children who are starving in Yemen. But they both did not want any delays in getting SNAP benefits to hungry children in the USA.
“This five-year bill will provide nutrition support to our nation’s most vulnerable families and strengthen our agricultural and food economy,” Lawson said. “The bill gives access to SNAP benefits for millions of working families struggling to make ends meet and the nearly 39 million Americans who are food-insecure.”
If the House had waited until the next Congress to renegotiate the Farm Bill, then it would have to deal with a bigger Republican majority in the U.S. Senate. The new Republican senators would have included former Gov. Rick Scott. Scott has supported policies that hurt welfare recipients in Florida, like a law that required them to go through drug testing in order to get their benefits. The law was declared unconstitutional by federal courts.
The passage of the Farm Bill will provide SNAP recipients with the food benefits they need for the next five years.