Domestic Food Programs

Recently enacted legislation has significantly reduced the scope of the Food Stamp Program and the child nutrition programs. The Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981 (Public Law 97-35) and title XIII of the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 (Public Law 97-98, also known as the Food Stamp and Commodity Distribution Amendments of 1981) mandate tighter eligibility criteria, lower reimbursement rates, and increased efforts to reduce fraud and abuse. These reductions will probably help slow future growth rates in the food assistance programs