The House of Representatives recently passed three more long-term spending bills over the Labor Day weekend. The bills allocate a total of $1.3 trillion to cover government funding from October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020.
The spending bills that have been passed so far are for the military, veterans’ services, and foreign affairs. These bills were approved in bipartisan efforts that likely indicate that the spending budget will ultimately be approved in full. However, one major bill, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2019, was not passed, as voted down by 214 to 210.
The Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2019 is Congress’ attempt to reauthorize funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the main government line of assistance for families struggling to purchase food. It also includes provisions for the government to purchase more surplus agricultural products, thereby reducing their rates for subsidized crop insurance.
The bill was contested largely due to provisions that would have instituted stricter work requirements for people benefitting from SNAP. Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House, was a major lobbyist for the work requirement, which required people to make consistent efforts to become employed in order to benefit from the program.
Despite the bill’s failure, Representatives from both sides of the aisle made positive statements about the progress that has been made towards a full budget. House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) said in a statement, “We’re just days away from enactment of six of our seven bills, leaving behind three delayed pieces of fiscal year 2020 spending,” she said. “This work demonstrates the high-functioning appropriations process the House of Representatives has created.”
The House Appropriations Committee will now consider the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2019 this week, and representatives of both parties have expressed optimism about its passage. This would be a victory for families in need across the nation, and would signal the successful conclusion of the budgeting process.