This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Right now, Congress is debating a farm bill that will direct our agriculture and nutrition policy for the next several years. The House and Senate passed two very different bills and now have to negotiate a compromise and pass a single bill.
The main difference between the two bills? The amount of money being cut from food stamps, now known as SNAP. Some want to gut the program. Others want to protect it.
On Nov. 1, all food stamp recipients saw their benefits reduced. Now some in Congress want to double down on low-income Americans. Food stamps have become politically charged these days. Whether you support or oppose the program, we weaken our nation when we make it more difficult for families to put food on the table.
As somebody who believes that our government should not actively try to increase hunger in America, I'd like to see our Congress members work to pass a farm bill that protects anti-hunger programs and finds a better way to balance the budget than pulling the rug out from under Americans struggling to get by.
Rebecca Page
Park City