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1 1 (January 30, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govydp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: I Cogesoanesac(evc 0 January 30, 2019 2018 Farm Bill Primer: SNAP and Nutrition Title Programs The Nutrition title of the farm bill typically reauthorizes a number of nutrition or domestic food assistance programs. These include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program) and certain other programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). These programs (listed below, with additional detail in Table 1) were last reauthorized by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 farm bill; P.L. 115-334). They are authorized through September 30, 2023. Farm bills since 1973 have included reauthorization of the Food Stamp Program (renamed SNAP in 2008). Nutrition Programs Reauthorized ina Farm Bl The major programs reauthorized in the 2018 farm bill were the following: * SNAP and related grant programs (e.g., SNAP Employment & Training); * Programs in lieu of SNAP: Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), grants for certain territories; * The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP); * Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP); * Community Food Projects; * Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP); and * Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) grants. SNAP is the largest of USDA's domestic food assistance programs, in both participation and spending (see Table 1). Relationship with Child Nutrition Reauthorization The authorizing statutes for the child nutrition programs (the National School Lunch Program and other institutional food service programs) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are typically reauthorized in a child nutrition reauthorization-not a farm bill. These programs were last reauthorized by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-96). However, recent farm bills have included some provisions related to food purchasing and distribution for schools. The 2018 farm bill extends funding for federal purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables for schools and service institutions and requires USDA to enforce Buy American requirements for school food purchases. Funding According to the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO's) projected costs at the time of the 2018 law's enactment, the Nutrition title makes up approximately 76% of farm bill spending. SNAP is the vast majority of the title's spending. SNAP Funding SNAP is authorized as open-ended mandatory spending and is funded through appropriations laws. As such, amending SNAP eligibility, benefits, or other program rules can have a budgetary impact. At the same time, the availability of appropriated funding also affects SNAP's operation. SNAP's spending is largely driven by program participation, which can fluctuate due to economic conditions and program rules (see Figure 1). Approximately 95% of SNAP spending is for the benefits themselves, which are 100% federally funded. Administrative costs of eligibility determination are shared between the states and the federal government. Other SNAP spending includes funds for nutrition education and Employment and Training (E&T). Figure I. SNAP Participation and Federal Spending (FYI993-FY2018) 9m0 Other SNAP Spending (left axis) Benefits Spending (left axis) Avg. Monthly Participation (right axis) P$ic pation 50 40 $80 $40 $0 Wo M0 NM M0 M9 NM M Source: CRS, using USDA-FNS administrative data. Note: Data underlying this chart are available in CRS Report R42505, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): A Primer on Eligibility and Benefits. Other Funding The programs in lieu of SNAP (except for a small amount of FDPIR) are also mandatory spending. TEFAP's entitlement commodity funds for food are mandatory spending, while the program's administrative costs are discretionary. CSFP is discretionary spending. SFMNP receives mandatory funding from sources outside of annual appropriations bills. SNAP in the 2018 Farm Bill The 2018 farm bill was formulated and enacted amid contentious debate that centered on SNAP's work a :ps://crsreports.congress.gos

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