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MARY CLARE JALONICK <\/strong> The House Agriculture Committee is considering a five-year farm bill that would make small cuts to the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program.<\/p>\n The cuts are part of massive legislation that costs almost $100 billion annually and would set policy for farm subsidies, rural programs and the food aid. The House panel started work on the legislation Wednesday, one day after the Senate Agriculture Committee approved its version.<\/p>\n The House bill would cut about $2.5 billion a year \u2014 or a little more than 3 percent \u2014 from the food stamp program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The legislation would achieve the cuts partly by eliminating an eligibility category that mandates automatic food stamp benefits when people sign up for certain other benefit programs.<\/p>\n
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May 15, 2013<\/p>\n