Trump's food stamp cuts faces hard sell in Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's proposal to slash food stamps by a third will be a hard sell in Congress, even as Republicans have tried repeatedly to scale back the program's $70 billion annual cost.

Trump's proposed budget would save $191 billion in savings over 10 years by shifting some of the cost to states, targeting the benefits to the poorest people, increasing work requirements and limiting some eligibility.

Mick Mulvaney, Trump's budget director, said Monday that shifting costs to states would give them "a little bit of skin the game" and incentivize them to improve the programs.

[...] farm-state lawmakers who have jurisdiction over SNAP have generally sought to preserve it, as food stamps help them win urban Democratic votes for the massive farm bill that Congress passes every five years or so.

[...] Conaway and Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, have indicated that they will support some sort of SNAP overhaul in the next farm bill, due next year.

Republican leaders insisted on food stamp cuts in the 2014 farm bill, and the House passed legislation that would have strengthened work requirements and cut 5 percent.