The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the 2018 farm bill, which includes an overhaul of the federal food stamp program that could result in cuts of up to $20 billion in direct benefits over 10 years, opponents say.

Considered a key piece of legislation in House Speaker Paul Ryan’s bid to reduce entitlements, the bill failed in its first vote on May 18 but passed 213-211 Thursday, this time with support from members of the conservative Freedom Caucus. Every Democrat voted against it, agreeing with hunger-relief organizations that the bill’s proposed work requirement changes to food stamps, called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, could be catastrophic for low-income and working-class Americans who depend on them.

“It’s shocking that the House would pass this kind of harsh farm bill that betrays the long-standing bipartisan commitment to making sure that people who are struggling have enough to eat,” said Stephen Knight, director of policy and partnerships at the Alameda County Community Food Bank, which estimates that 110,000 Alameda County residents are enrolled in CalFresh, the state’s version of SNAP, 60 percent of them children. “With wages falling and inequality growing in our country, protecting and strengthening SNAP is essential.”

The Senate’s version of a farm bill came out earlier this month, with only minor changes proposed to SNAP. It could be voted on next week and is expected to pass because it has bipartisan support. What’s unclear is how the two bills will be reconciled before going to President Trump and before the current farm bill expires in September.

The House bill’s more stringent food stamp eligibility and work requirements could affect millions of Americans who receive an average of $1.40 per person per meal, opponents say.

Currently, able-bodied adults — those who are not disabled or pregnant — ages 18 to 49 who do not have dependents are required to work or receive job training for 20 hours per week. The new bill raises the age to 59 and does not exempt those with children older than 5.

Critics of the new bill say that workers who suddenly lose a job or, conversely, work a few extra hours could lose benefits. They also criticize the bill’s proposal to require work training to prevent losing benefits when such programs are not available in all areas.

Because such a high percentage of food stamp recipients are employed, a change in the bill that would impact Bay Area residents particularly hard is that it would reduce the income cutoff for food stamp eligibility.

Currently, that cutoff is 130 percent of the federal poverty level, around $32,000 for a family of four, for all recipients. In California, where 4 million residents receive food stamps, the current cutoff is 200 percent of the poverty level, or around $49,000 for a family of four, because of the higher cost of living here. Families that earn more than the lower threshold of $32,000 would no longer qualify.

Supporters of the bill say the country’s low unemployment calls for moving more able-bodied adults into the workforce. That includes Trump, who has presented his own proposals for cutting SNAP and who gave his support to the House bill Thursday, tweeting: “Farm Bill just passed in the House. So happy to see work requirements included. Big win for the farmers!”

Tarren Bragdon, CEO and president of the welfare reform group Foundation for Government Accountability, expressed similar sentiments.

“Lawmakers within the House of Representatives gave millions of Americans the opportunity to experience the freedom and power of work by passing the commonsense welfare reforms within the House Farm Bill,” Bragdon said in a statement. “These reforms will close loopholes within the food stamp program that will restore the integrity of the program and ensure that resources are available for the truly needy.”

Tara Duggan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan