The House Agriculture Committee on May 24 completed a 13-hour markup of the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2024 – House Republicans’ proposal to reauthorize the Farm Bill – and approved the bill out of committee. Four Democrats joined committee Republicans in support of the bill.
As covered in last week’s Advocacy Quick Hits, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act includes many proposals that drew support from both Republicans and Democrats on the committee, but many Democratic members strongly opposed restricting changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s (SNAP) Thrifty Food Plan and other measures. For community colleges, the bill includes new grants for community college agriculture programs, inspired by the Community College Agricultural Advancement Act. The bill also includes a new earnings disregard for SNAP participants in Employment and Training subsidized work-based learning programs, many of which are offered by community colleges.
It is not yet clear when or if the legislation will be brought to the House floor for a vote. Sen. John Boozman (R-Arkansas), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, has indicated that Senate Republicans are preparing to release their Farm Bill reauthorization proposal. The chair of the committee, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), unveiled her proposal, the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, earlier in May.
