WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The House Agriculture Committee will debate the latest farm bill proposal this week. Two Oregon Congresswomen sit on that committee and have differing opinions about the new draft.

U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-OR6) says proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are worse than she anticipated, "The Republican outline would actually take more food off dinner tables than help feed more people. And we know that people are suffering right now. We know our food pantries and food banks are over-subscribed; some of them are seeing upwards of 30% need over what they saw during COVID." She says a proposed change to the SNAP benefits formula would result in a $30 billion cut, "So, what they’re basically saying is, ‘oh, we need this in order to make our farmers and growers whole.’ I don’t buy that. I think we can do both."

Salinas also worries the proposal would tie the hands of Congress, "Basically, what it says is into the future, you can only make further cuts. And that is harmful." But, she's optimistic about the mark-up process and says she's asking the GOP members of the committee, "To meet us halfway and to make sure that we have a markup that is really reflective of the need right now. I cannot take food out of the mouths of my veterans when I know so many are suffering. They’re struggling to be able to afford rent."

U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR5) says. "At this moment, there has been no suggestion to me that the current benefits are going to be cut." She adds, "The colleagues that I’m working with across the aisle and on my side care about SNAP benefits. The goal is always to be inclusive and answer the call. When we have food insecurity in this country, that’s a national security problem." 

Chavez-DeRemer says she agrees SNAP is important, "One of the things we want to do is that we have all the funding necessary, not cut benefits that are current now, and make sure that we’re addressing any sort of waste so people that deserve and need to be on SNAP benefits get everything that they need."

But, she notes, there are other important components in the 900-page bill, "Forestry matters, workforce training matters, wildfire risk matters, crop insurance matters, childcare matters in this farm bill." There are a total of 12 main issues in the 2024 Farm Bill.

The last five-year Farm Bill passed in 2018. In November 2023, Congress approved extending those provisions until September 2024, while lawmakers worked on reauthorization. Chavez-DeRemer and Salinas agree work is on schedule to send the full bill for a vote before those provisions expire.