because the Farm Bill ALSO expires at the end of the month and that impacts farm subsidies, crop insurance, SNAP, & WIC, among other things.
The Farm Bill is a standalone 5-year appropriations bill that never had much issue (because of the Agriculture/farm subsidies focus to balance the food benefits part).
The Department of Agriculture was always 2nd only to the Department of Defense, as sacrosanct for the GOP... until the post-teabagger era. And during the Obama administration, the fringe RW loons in Congress, in an effort to "own the libs" and slash food aid to the poor, literally threw their own rural farmers under the bus to do so when they refused to pass the appropriations on time.
The last 2 renewals (2013 & 2018) were each delayed in a flurry of circus acts and posturing, while struggling farmers were begging for their insurance and subsidies to deal with crop failures caused by extreme weather (climate change).
This year, 2023, is the next renewal.
The below statement has been released by the administration today -
September 25, 2023
Extreme House Republicans’ Chaos Is Marching America Toward a Shutdown That Would Jeopardize Vital Nutrition Assistance for Nearly 7 Million Vulnerable Moms and Young Children
Home Briefing Room Statements and Releases
With less than one week before the end of the fiscal year, extreme House Republicans are playing partisan games with peoples’ lives and marching our country toward a government shutdown that would have damaging impacts across the country—including putting vital nutrition assistance at risk for nearly 7 million women and children who rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)—a program that serves nearly half of babies born in this country.
During an Extreme Republican Shutdown, women and children who count on WIC would soon start being turned away at grocery store counters, with a federal contingency fund drying up after just a few days and many states left with limited WIC funds to operate the program.
And the reason food assistance for these families is at risk is extreme House Republicans’ continued efforts to slash funding for vital programs, including WIC, rather than work in a bipartisan manner to keep the government open and address emergency needs for the American people. House Republicans have turned their backs on the bipartisan budget deal that a large majority of them voted for just a few months ago and proposed a continuing resolution (CR) that makes devastating cuts to programs that millions of hardworking Americans count on. While House Republicans continue to debate what CR to advance, they have consistently refused to include the Administration’s request for additional WIC funding that’s needed to ensure the program can serve every eligible pregnant woman, new mother, and infant and young child. Without the Administration’s funding request, states could soon be forced to institute waiting lists for WIC, causing mothers and children to lose access to the vital nutrition assistance.
(snip)
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/
Current Farm Bill link - https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/farm-bill/index
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