John,

Last week, before the House was thrown into chaos, it attempted (and failed) to pass an Agriculture spending bill that would have cut SNAP and WIC benefits, which are critical to adults and children who don’t always have enough nutritious food to eat.

Historically, Democrats and Republicans in Congress have worked together on nutrition assistance, and, in particular, the U.S. Farm Bill, to ensure SNAP food benefits are available for low-income people in need. But with far-right extremists seemingly calling the shots in the House, even nutrition programs are under attack.

While House chaos delays legislative action, we need to make sure that the extremists pushing to take food away from people don’t hold sway here -- the stakes are too high for people running out of food.

We need to ensure the new Farm Bill strengthens, and doesn't cut, SNAP. Add your name to demand Congress put the people first and strengthen SNAP in the Farm Bill.

From 2021 to 2022 the poverty rate among children more than doubled from 5% to 12%. Now, more than 37 million people live below the poverty line.¹ The U.S. has not seen this sharp a rise in poverty in more than 50 years. And with reduced benefits and rising prices, hunger has risen. In the summer of 2021, 8% said that in the previous week, they sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat; two years later, that was up to more than 12%. For people with children, the proportion going without enough food rose from nearly 10% to 15% over the same period -- an alarming rise in hardship.

It is essential for Congress to come together and improve SNAP in the following ways:

• Ensuring SNAP’s purchasing power aligns with grocery prices and provides adequate support during tough economic times.

• Improving SNAP access for older adults, college students, veterans, working families, residents and others who do not qualify for or are unable to participate in SNAP due to eligibility and enrollment barriers.

• Helping more military families access SNAP benefits by excluding the Basic Allowance for Housing from the gross income calculation for SNAP eligibility.

• Supporting SNAP choice and focusing on ensuring affordable access to nutritious foods.

• Adequately funding and improving state employment and training programs.

• Ensuring people receiving SNAP benefits can access training opportunities that align with best practices.

• Preventing the expansion of SNAP work requirements, to support participants as they find work.

In the richest country on Earth, people living in poverty without access to quality nutrition is a policy choice, not an inevitability.

Join us and our coalition partners in demanding Congress fight to strengthen SNAP food benefits in this year's Farm Bill. Add your name today.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ Poverty in the United States: 2022
² U.S. Census Household Pulse survey data, comparing weeks 34-35 and weeks 59-60, calculations by Coalition on Human Needs.