New budget deal includes enhanced work requirements for food aid, Democrats play catch-up.

Democrats are trying to catch up with Republicans in the battle over food and nutrition programs, which face new restrictions in the debt deal. House Democrats have launched a task force on agriculture and nutrition to push back against Republicans who have spent months arguing that nutrition programs need stronger work requirements. However, the task force has yet to lay out how it will make up the ground they’ve lost to Republicans. Democrats are looking for another avenue, beyond the House Agriculture Committee, to push back.