White House Projects Veto On House Version Of Farm Bill

The farm bill has been a growing source of controversy the past couple weeks, and now the White House is weighing in. While the bill passed in the Senate on June 10 — with a sweeping 66 to 27 victory — whether or not it will fare equally as well in the House is being speculated upon more and more. Yesterday, Food Action Policy hosted a conference about the legislation, where Chef Tom Colicchio and other food activists cited the problematic cuts that the bill makes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps. In a recent statement, the White House expresses the same discontent.

According to the Obama administration, the proposed "bill makes unacceptable deep cuts in SNAP, which could increase hunger among millions of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet, including families with children and senior citizens." The five-year plan would cut $2 billion annually from the food stamp program.

The White House says that if such significant cuts are going to be made, they should come from farm subsidies, such as crop insurance: "The administration looks forward to working with Congress to achieve crop insurance and commodity savings."

Over 220 amendments have been filed to the legislation, which is slated to reach the House floor for a vote by the end of this week.