Farm bill would cut benefits for women farmers and low-income mothers
By Joann Weiner, Published: September 19 at 4:30 pm
Woe to women across America when they learn how much income the farm bill might cost them. Although Congress has yet to approve a replacement for the 2008 farm bill that expired almost nine months ago and was extended through September 30, the House and the Senate have each approved separate versions of the nearly $1 trillion, ten-year farm bill that scale back or eliminate programs that not only help many women farmers stay in business, but also help low-income mothers feed their kids.
The House is scheduled to consider the latest version of the bill on Thursday.
Congress has traditionally used the farm bill to support farmers when crop prices are temporarily low, to encourage them to let land lie fallow to avoid over-supply of certain crops, and to provide subsidized crop insurance against adverse events such as drought, hail, excess rain, insects and disease.
For more than forty years, the farm bill has also funded the nation’s food stamp program, which is formally known as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). About 80 percent of spending in the farm bill goes toward nutrition-related programs. Crop insurance is the next largest program, accounting for ten percent of total spending.
Farming is a major source of employment for many women. In 2011, more than 300,000 women were principal operators of farms in America.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2013/09/19/farm-bill-would-cut-benefits-for-women-farmers-and-low-income-mothers/?wprss=rss_politics&clsrd
While we are focused on the House, the fucking Senate is also cutting these things. Not as much, but The fact they are doing so does not bode well for the final version.
