Naugatuck Times

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Ranking Member of the Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture Subcommittee, sent a letter to Chairman Brad Finstad (MN-01) urging him to convene the Committee and hold hearings around the Farm Bill. The subcommittee has yet to hold a hearing or even a meeting in the 118th Congress despite being tasked with drafting the 2023 Farm Bill. Nutrition provisions make up 76% of the $1.4 trillion dollar Farm Bill making the delays in committee work even more alarming. The 2018 Farm Bill is only authorized through September 30, 2023.

“During this Congress we have the enormous responsibility of reauthorizing the Farm Bill. The Farm Bill has a long, bipartisan tradition, and it is imperative we convene so we may come to a consensus position on the language of the next bill,” wrote Ranking Member Hayes. “As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, I am especially concerned with disturbing rhetoric regarding work requirements for SNAP beneficiaries and this must be explored in the Committee process. I urgently request that a hearing schedule be released for the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture to ensure that Members have a forum to discuss Nutrition priorities.”

Title IV of the Farm Bill, provides nutrition assistance for low-income households through programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In 2022, more than 42 million people participated in SNAP, the most recent in years. In her letter, Ranking Member Hayes impresses upon the Chairman the importance of engaging in bipartisan discussions to reach a resolution. Under her leadership in the 117th Congress, Ranking Member Hayes held a number of hearings to gain insight ahead of the Farm Bill reauthorization, including a hearing focused on stakeholder perspectives on SNAP.

A copy of the letter can be found here and the full text below.

Chairman Brad Finstad,

I write today with an urgent request that hearings be held on the Nutrition title of the upcoming Farm Bill and for any updates on the work of the House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture. During this Congress we have the enormous responsibility of reauthorizing the Farm Bill. The Farm Bill has a long, bipartisan tradition, and it is imperative we convene so we may come to a consensus position on the language of the next bill. As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, I am especially concerned with disturbing rhetoric regarding work requirements for SNAP beneficiaries and this must be explored in the Committee process.

The last time Congress reauthorized the Farm Bill, the first iteration of the bill was introduced on April 12, 2018. As of today, April 18, 2023, the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture has not held one hearing, meeting, or gathering on the Nutrition title of the Farm Bill. In contrast, the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry has held or scheduled seven hearings on the Farm Bill, including a hearing entitled, “SNAP and Other Nutrition Assistance in the Farm Bill.”

As you know, 76% of the $1.4 trillion dollar Farm Bill is appropriated for Nutrition, so this committee must be at the forefront of the work on this reauthorization.

I urgently request that a hearing schedule be released for the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture to ensure that Members have a forum to discuss Nutrition priorities. I look forward to working with you on this critically important work and would appreciate a timely response in the next five business days or by April 25, 2023 on this request. 

Original source can be found here.