The Farm Bill remains under consideration of a Conference Committee, which has not yet held a meeting in 2014.  As of the end of December, no details of Conference Committee deliberations had been released.  However, there were informal reports that the Conference Committee had agreed to an $8.7B cut in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly “Food Stamps”) funding, to be made through reductions in the “heat and eat” program, in which Texas does not participate.   As this funding cut is controversial, it is clear that the Conference Committee has remaining work before voting to pass the Farm Bill legislative initiative and sending it on the House and Senate for final votes for passage.

It is not clear whether the House will pass even the compromise version of the Farm Bill crafted by the Conference Committee.  Some Democrats remain opposed to any reductions in SNAP funding, particularly hard on the heels of the November 1st sequestration-related SNAP cuts and the Congressional failure to extend long-term unemployment benefits in December 2013.   Many Republicans oppose a Farm Bill which fails to make far deeper cuts to SNAP.  

Please contact your representative and tell them how you feel about the Farm Bill and its impact on SNAP. Visit the "Be an Advocate" page on our website to find contact information for your Representative and Texas Senators as well as reading about other ways to get involved.