House Passes Farm Bill; Strips Out Food-Stamp Program

In this March 19, 2013 photo, a tractor plows a cotton field in Hatch, N.M., in preparation for the spring growing season.(Photo: Susan Montoya Bryan, AP)

House lawmakers narrowly passed a new version of the farm bill that doesn't include money for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program relied on by millions of Americans.

usatoday.com - by Christopher Doering - July 11, 2013

WASHINGTON -- House lawmakers approved a scaled-back version of the farm bill Thursday after stripping out the popular food-stamp program used by 48 million Americans.

The bill narrowly passed on a 216-208 vote, largely along party lines. A dozen Republicans voted against the measure while no Democrats voted in favor.

The measure focuses solely on farm programs and would delay, at least for now, efforts to overhaul the country's food-stamp program that traditionally has made up 80% of spending in the bill.

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