WASHINGTON — The Senate moved today to issue a final vote on the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013 on Monday.
The Senate version of the bill ends direct payments and counter-cyclical payments for commodity crop farmers, while barring those with an adjusted gross income exceeding $750,000 from receiving funds from Title I Farm Bill programs.
It also reforms existing dairy programs to eliminate direct payments and price supports in favor of insurance programs.
Specialty crops will receive additional funding for research and other programs.
Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as food stamps, will be cut by $4 billion over 10 years in the Senate bill. The cuts specifically limit states' ability to coordinate the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and SNAP benefits, which will cause 500,000 households to lose $90 a month in SNAP benefits, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The bill also requires retailers eligible to cash SNAP benefits to offer a wider variety of food products.
The House of Representatives will likely vote on its version of the bill later this month.
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