While most anti-hunger advocates oppose the cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the Republican reconciliation bill, Angela Rachidi, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, endorsed the plan on Tuesday.

“The reconciliation text released by the [House] Agriculture Committee makes several important changes to address the program’s tremendous cost growth in recent years, while prioritizing employment and state accountability,” Rachidi wrote. “These reforms will put SNAP on a more sustainable path, while refocusing the program on its core principles — helping low-income households afford food and supporting employment.”

Meanwhile, a series of farm groups issued statements praising the sections of the bill that would provide more money for farm programs.

The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance said, “We are grateful to Chairman GT Thompson and his staff for advancing these vital investments in specialty crops that the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance has been proposing since 2023. Although our strong preference is to enact agriculture policy in the context of a comprehensive bipartisan farm bill, we appreciate the chairman’s long-standing support of our industry and for seizing this opportunity to support America’s specialty crop growers. 

“Our message today is simple: Whenever Congress invests in American agriculture, it must include specialty crops. America’s specialty crop growers produce half the farm gate value in the United States and continue to confront a host of unprecedented challenges, yet specialty crops historically receive a small fraction of the farm bill’s investments. Rising input costs, limited access to labor, unfair trade practices, disruptions to foreign markets and natural disasters ranging from flood to drought all impede their global competitiveness. Nothing short of the survival of our domestic industry is at stake.

“The investments proposed by Chairman Thompson today are a key piece of the puzzle, but even if they survive the entire budget reconciliation process and are enacted into law, there is still work to be done. Senate rules prohibit many of the new and innovative policy initiatives we’ve been proposing from being included in this bill, such as investments in mechanization and automation and reforms to crop insurance that would provide many of our growers with an affordable and effective safety net for the very first time. 

“We continue to urge Congress to advance a comprehensive, bipartisan farm bill that incorporates our recommendations to bolster the competitiveness of America’s specialty crop growers. They domestically produce the safe, nutritious foods that more Americans should be consuming, as well as cultivate the trees, flowers and plants that play a vital role in the nation’s health and wellbeing.”

SCFBA is co-chaired by Cathy Burns, CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association; Mike Joyner, president of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association; Dave Puglia, president and CEO of Western Growers; and Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council.

Jim Blair, president and CEO of the U.S. Apple Association, said, “Chairman Thompson has consistently demonstrated real leadership and a deep commitment to American agriculture. His efforts to invest in critical programs like research and trade promotion provide a much-needed lifeline to apple growers facing rising input costs and uncertain markets. We will keep working to ensure a comprehensive farm bill that meets the full range of our industry’s needs.”

National Council of Farmer Cooperatives President Chuck Conner said in a news release today, “As the House Agriculture Committee continues its markup of the reconciliation package, I want to commend Chairman Thompson for including key farm bill provisions. Updating reference prices and commodity title payments to reflect today’s economic realities is critical. America’s farmers cannot endure another year of uncertainty following the expiration of the last farm bill. Additionally, the proposal to double funding for market development programs is a timely and necessary step to expand export opportunities amid continued trade volatility.”