WASHINGTON, April 25 (UPI) -- Agencies that provide food to the poor in the United States say delay in passing a new farm bill is hurting their clients.
Congress has voted four times to push the bill back, the Chicago Tribune reported. The most recent vote was Thursday when representatives gave themselves another week for negotiations.
That means the 2002 Farm Bill is still in effect, without the changes in the Food Stamp program that would allow for higher food prices.
"It's really rough for people out there," said Ellen Vollinger of the Food Research and Action Center in Washington. "Certainly that's one of the reasons we've been trying to get the farm bill done. Under the current law, the purchasing power of their benefits continues to erode."
America's Second Harvest calculates that food costs 5.5 percent more than it did in October 2007. The Department of Agriculture calculates the cost of a "thrifty plan" for a family of for in June, and Food Stamp allowances based on that take effect in October.
