Tell Congress to support the Senate Farm Bill proposal that helps farmers, local economies, and families! SIGN NOW

Dear Friend,

We want a Farm Bill that ensures children and families have food on their tables NOT one that increases hunger! 

*CLICK HERE to tell Congress to support the Senate version of the Farm Bill that protects SNAP (also known as food stamps) and to reject the Republican-led House version that weakens SNAP!

What is the Farm Bill? The Farm Bill is a massive piece of legislation that sets policy and provides funding for many programs–everything from the crops farmers grow to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Historically, the Farm Bill has been a bipartisan piece of legislation that supports both farmers and all of us who eat food and is renewed every five years. 

The Senate and House Agriculture Committees recently released their much-delayed Farm Bill proposals, and the two versions differ dramatically. The Senate version continues this bipartisan tradition of aiding farmers and protecting the food assistance that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides to over 42 million people each month. [1] The Republican-led House proposal, on the other hand, weakens SNAP, cutting roughly $30 billion in benefits over the next decade. [2] Cutting food assistance at a time when so many families are struggling to make ends meet is outrageous! 

SIGN OUR LETTER to tell Congress to pass a Farm Bill that protects SNAP benefits, expands SNAP access, and decreases food insecurity for families.

SNAP is the nation’s first line of defense against hunger. Almost 80% of people who benefit from SNAP are children, seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans. [3] SNAP provides roughly nine meals for every one meal provided by Feeding America’s Food Banks. SNAP also benefits the local economy; every dollar spent on SNAP benefits generates roughly $1.50 in economic activity. When more families struggle to make ends meet, SNAP responds quickly and effectively to meet that need. Rates of food insecurity are particularly high among Black, Latino, and American Indian and Alaska Native people; the Senate version of the Farm Bill strengthens SNAP to address these racial inequities in food access and hunger. 

TELL CONGRESS: Protect SNAP in the Farm Bill to ensure that all children and families receive adequate nutrition.

WANT MORE OF THE LOWDOWN? The Republican House Farm Bill framework undermines food security by eliminating future U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Thrifty Food Plan (the basis for SNAP benefit levels) benefit adjustments. SNAP currently averages only about $6 per person per day– the House Farm Bill proposal would cut this benefit to even less than $6 per person per day. [4] Anyone who has had to feed their child with $6 per day knows how incredibly difficult this is. The cut would happen over time since the House proposal would prevent SNAP benefits from keeping pace with the cost of a nutritious diet. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this would result in an estimated $30 billion cut to SNAP over the next ten years. [5] 

In contrast, the bipartisan Senate Farm Bill Framework offers a bold vision for addressing hunger. The proposal:

• protects SNAP by continuing future adjustments to the Thrifty Food plan;
• expands access to SNAP benefits for groups that have historically been excluded;
• reduces barriers to participation in SNAP for older adults, military families, and some college students;
• studies the impact of allowing hot foods, like rotisserie chicken, to be purchased with SNAP benefits, which would provide more food options to seniors, people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, and people without access to a kitchen;
• repeals the lifetime federal ban for people convicted of a drug-related felony;
• establishes a path for residents of Puerto Rico to participate in SNAP after more than 40 years of being excluded;
• permanently allows Tribes to procure their own food to distribute through the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations; 
• improves customer services for participation in SNAP;
• increases funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program so that more communities can access more fruits and vegetables and support local farmers; 
• and more! [6, 7]

SIGN HERE: Tell Congress to back the Senate’s Farm Bill proposal, which offers a bipartisan, responsible, and equitable approach to addressing food insecurity.

Together we are a powerful force for families! 

-Jessica, Elyssa, Hanna, and the whole MomsRising.org & MamásConPoder Team

References:
[1] FNS: SNAP Participation and Cost
[2] CBPP: Chair Stabenow’s Farm Bill vision protects and strengthens SNAP; Chair Thompson’s puts a healthy diet out of reach for millions.
[3] U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Nutrition
[4] U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Nutrition
[5] CBPP: Chair Stabenow’s Farm Bill vision protects and strengthens SNAP; Chair Thompson’s puts a healthy diet out of reach for millions.
[6] CBPP: Chair Stabenow’s Farm Bill vision protects and strengthens SNAP; Chair Thompson’s puts a healthy diet out of reach for millions.
[7] Food Research and Action Center applauds Senate Farm Bill aimed at protecting and strengthening SNAP

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.