For 40 years, farm bills have been packaged together legislatively with nutritional programs. At first glance a seemingly unlikely pair, the two were joined to form a stronger, more successful political coalition between rural and urban legislators.

The farm bills back then aided mainly poor farmers with subsidies. Unfortunately, farm subsidies today benefit many corporate and wealthy agribusinesses.

Food stamps (now called SNAP, for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) make up the vast majority of the nutritional programs represented on the farm bills. Forty years ago, food stamps aided low-income Americans, and today they still benefit low-income Americans.

Politics as usual assured the demise of June’s farm bill, with conservative Republicans wanting more cuts to food stamps and Democrats feeling the cuts went too deep. So, House Republican leaders, still smarting from June’s farm bill defeat as well as internal disagreements, decided to do something bold and daring.

They succeeded in a plan to ramrod a farm bill through the House — stripped of the food stamp provisions. All Democrat  — plus 12 Republican — representatives voted against this one.

Very few actually believe that a Democratic Senate will allow the House’s bill to pass. And President Obama has made it clear that he will veto such a farm bill. So, their ultimate game plan appears to be making the food stamp program easier to severely reform or kill.

Meanwhile, food stamp usage has risen. One in six Americans depend on the food stamp program. The food stamp program currently enrolls more than 47 million poor people — 16 million of which are children. Nine percent of all seniors are struggling to put food on the table and need the help of food stamps.

The average family benefit is about $240 per month; the largest percentage of funds go to working families, the physically handicapped and the elderly.

Let’s also not forget that jobs are still hard to come by and so poverty rises. For every job opening there are now three unemployed people. For millions, there has been no financial recovery from the last recession. And policymakers seem to have given up on helping to create a significant amount of new jobs.

One hell of a lot of vulnerable people are confused and most likely frightened by not knowing what’s in store for them should SNAP be deeply cut or taken away from them. This is a cruel and miserable way to treat our most vulnerable Americans who don’t always have enough food to put on their family’s dinner table.

It could be time to remind our representatives how important it is for them to learn how to provide a realistic safety net for those truly in need.

— Contact Marylin Olds at marylin.olds@gmail.com.