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Government shutdown looms after Trump-backed bill fails; Environmental groups sue CA Air Resources Board over biogas credits; NY elected officials work to electrify municipal buildings; Need a mental health boost? Talking hot dog is here.

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President-elect Trump repeats his threats to jail Jan. 6th committee members, while also putting a stop-gap spending plan in jeopardy. A court removes Fani Willis from Trump's Georgia election interference case. The FAA restricts drones in New Jersey, and a Federal Reserve rate cut shakes markets.

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Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

Farm Bill delays could affect food benefits for many Americans

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Wednesday, November 8, 2023   

The once-every-five-year Farm Bill will likely be extended to six years this time around, as Congress seems months away from finding a path forward.

The legislation governs an array of agricultural and food programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP, which Democrats typically want to expand and Republicans want to trim.

Aaron Shier, director of government relations for the National Farmers Union, said SNAP is the nation's most significant anti-hunger program, and the union is eager for Congress to pass a bill to protects and strengthen the program.

"It's very much about those nutrition programs, making sure those nutrition programs remain strong," Shier explained. "The Farm Bill's been described as a 'Swiss Army knife;' there are many different tools to address many different challenges."

Nearly 16% of Illinois's 12.7 million residents are enrolled in SNAP. The current Farm Bill lapsed in October, but most lawmakers consider Jan. 1 as the last possible date for approving a new one. Congress also missed the scheduled Farm Bill approval date in 2012, leading to an extension.

The Farm Bill also encompasses commodities, or basic goods and materials, as well as farm credit, rural development and conservation. Two decades ago, Congress embraced the Conservation Stewardship Program to pay farmers for making soil and water conservation part of their daily operations. In recent farm bills, funding has been cut significantly.

Nonetheless, Shier pointed out his members consider conservation essential to agriculture because at its core, farming is about stewardship.

"That's of our environment, of our climate -- most farmers are great stewards -- they want to be better," Shier stressed. "They need those conservation programs to make sure those conservation measures are affordable."

Environmental advocates want the bill to include more money for climate-smart farming to tackle wide-scale changes caused by global warming, while the GOP is focused on increasing subsidies for three specific Southern crops: peanuts, cotton and rice.


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