Many Texas families, farmers threatened by Beltway gridlock

Farm bill can’t be a victim of congressional malfunction.

In the middle of a heat wave threatening crops in the Texas High Plains, farmers recently met with Sen. John Cornyn in Lubbock to seek additional assistance for the 2023 Farm Bill. Texas farmers are well aware of how extreme weather conditions affect their livelihoods. And planning how food is grown and what kind of food will make it to our kitchen tables in the years to come is essential for the well-being of our country.

The farm bill, a major legislative package that needs to be approved every five years, is set to expire Sept. 30. Debating, refining and passing this reauthorization is the sort of work a functional Congress should be able to do. But we know that isn’t how our government works anymore.

A big problem, but hardly the only one, is that a zealous caucus of Republicans, furious after cuts to a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program were taken out of the debt ceiling bill, see the farm bill as their next best chance to target basic food aid.

That rigid insistence, coupled with Congress’ usual failure to get much of anything done, saw legislators depart for their August recess without getting the bill passed. They will try again in September, with the clock ticking.

That puts a lot at risk. Crop insurance, to take just one example. Last year, farmers lost billions of dollars in the Texas drought. This year is shaping up to be just as bad.

“We know that Mother Nature can be fickle and that so many of these folks depend on that safety net,” Cornyn said, signaling support.

There are many other programs within the bill that are just as important. But the bulk of the Farm Bill is about feeding people through nutrition programs. According to the Congressional Budget Office, those will account for 80% of the upcoming bill’s more than $1 trillion cost over the next 10 years.

Republicans want to expand work requirements for SNAP benefits, previously known as food stamps. If approved, millions of current recipients would be ruled ineligible. The program can be improved, particularly as it relates to the products SNAP funds, with a greater focus on nutritious food. But sharply altering eligibility requirements threatens food availability for potentially millions.

A healthier Congress could debate these matters and actually improve the programs for the benefit of all Americans. Instead, the “kill the bill” crowd is pushing its leverage to the maximum while too little actual negotiation among serious lawmakers is taking place. Politico reports that neither the House nor the Senate has circulated a draft bill. Democracy can’t work this way. Farmers waiting for rain in the August drought may have better chances than the people do of getting a well-drafted, well-considered farm bill.