Congress will soon consider new legislation to replace the expiring Food Security Act of 1985. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and many groups around the country are studying the effects of the 1985 law and other legislation to see what lessons can be applied in the 1990's. This bulletin describes current domestic food assistance programs, their relationships to each other, their effects, their impact on the food production and marketing sectors, and their cost. It then looks at options for food assistance policy in the next decade under a new farm law. It is worth noting that the new farm law will not cover the child nutrition programs or the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). However, these programs are still discussed in this bulletin.