The five-year farm bill is working its way through Congress. The one and a half

trillion-dollar measure covers a sweeping set of agricultural and food policies

covering everything from crop insurance to conservation programs.

As Ali Rogan reports, one major sticking point this year is funding for the federal program

that helps low-income people buy food.

The legislative package known as the Farm Bill is moving slowly through the House,

in part because of party-line disagreement over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance

Program or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.

It's a federal program that addresses hunger by helping people with low incomes by food.

But an analysis by the Urban Institute, a left-leaning research organization, found

that SNAP benefits in 2023 did not cover the rising cost of groceries in 98% of US counties.

Elaine Waxman is a senior fellow at the Urban Institute

and is one of the reports authors.

Elaine, thank you so much for being here.

Tell us a little bit more about Snap

and how levels for it are set.

Absolutely.

So SNAP is really the first line of defense

we have in federal nutrition programs

to address food insecurity.

And we have a solid evidence base

that suggests that it not only improves food outcomes,

...