John,

This Thursday, the House Agriculture Committee will debate, take up amendments, and vote on their proposed new Farm Bill.

If the Farm Bill being considered in the House Committee on Agriculture becomes law, it will mean a cut of nearly $30 billion in SNAP benefits over a decade. Such cuts are unconscionable.

For many children, they will make learning more difficult and lead to negative health outcomes. They will force families to choose between putting food on the table and paying for other expenses such as rent, utility bills, or prescription drugs. They will also harm our economy, removing the stimulative benefits of SNAP and even hurting farmers and ranchers along the way.

SNAP is the most effective anti-hunger program in the U.S. It reduces hunger by 30% and provides nutritious meals to one-quarter of America’s children.¹

The United States cannot become prosperous by inflicting long-lasting harm on the most vulnerable among us. Send a direct message to Congress urging them to reject any and all cuts to SNAP and other nutrition programs.

A particularly worrisome provision is the proposal to limit the USDA’s ability to update the Thrifty Food Plan to reflect the real costs of a nutritious diet, based on science, along with reflecting food prices that remain stubbornly high. This will make it tougher for families experiencing food insecurity as well as the food banks that aid them. This restriction will cause a nearly $30 billion SNAP cut, the largest cut to SNAP benefits in almost 30 years if enacted. Families across the country would face more and more challenges putting food on the table over time.

It is extremely disappointing that the current Farm Bill proposal fails to start transitioning Puerto Rico into the full SNAP program and that 70% of the bill’s increase to Puerto Rico’s block grant funding will be completely wiped out due to cuts in the Thrifty Food Program—a loss of $700 million. In addition, the reduction in future SNAP benefits would lead to more than $500 million in cuts to Summer EBT, which provides grocery benefits to children in low-income families during the summer when schools are closed, along with $100 million in cuts to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which provides food for food banks and food pantries to distribute to individuals and families.²

The House bill will also make it more difficult for people to apply for or renew benefits by allowing states to privatize eligibility determination. Replacing merit-based staff with private corporations, when previously tried in SNAP and other benefits programs, has not created more efficiencies. Instead, it provides incentives for corporations to increase profits by skimping on the help that people need.

But there is good news: Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has produced a Farm Bill plan that strengthens SNAP. It establishes a path for Puerto Rico to eventually participate in the program. Like the House proposal, it restores eligibility for people convicted of a drug-related felony. It reduces barriers to SNAP participation for older adults, military families, and some college students. It addresses farmworker safety and safeguards the workforce that helps SNAP participants enroll in or renew their benefits to protect program integrity. Unlike the House bill, the Senate plan makes needed improvements without cutting benefits.³

Adequate nutrition improves the lives and health outcomes of everyone—young and old alike. It’s critical that anti-hunger programs like SNAP, emergency food distribution, and summer food programs for children can respond to great need by providing the funds required for a nutritious diet.

Join us in sending a message to Congress, urging them to reject the House Farm Bill and support a bipartisan bill that protects and strengthens SNAP.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

¹ SNAP Is and Remains Our Most Effective Tool to Combat Hunger
² Merit-Staffing Standards in SNAP Eligibility Determinations
³ Chairwoman Stabenow Unveils the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act