Committee package boosts farm safety‑net measures even as SNAP debate roils markup

The House Committee on Agriculture’s May 13 markup combined a series of farm program changes with broader reconciliation savings that center on SNAP. Supporters said the measure restores predictability for producers while opponents said moving farm provisions through reconciliation breaks a bipartisan tradition and risks passage of a stripped‑down farm policy.

Chairman Thompson described the measure as putting "the farm back in the farm bill," saying the package "bolsters every facet of American agriculture" and provides investments in trade promotion, research and specialty‑crop programs while updating program reference prices and crop‑insurance supports.

Why it matters: Farmers and rural communities face tighter margins after several years of higher input costs, disease outbreaks and extreme weather. Committee supporters argued that updating reference prices and improving crop‑insurance access will provide needed…