Dear John,
Family farmers are facing huge losses from COVID-19 every day. Millions of households face food insecurity. They need your help to survive this pandemic. But Congress is more inclined to protect Big Ag than help the farmers who need it most and the communities they feed.
The last coronavirus aid package included $23 billion for agriculture. Last time Trump got to decide how to distribute bailout funds, relief went predominantly to the biggest farms. The latest stimulus money will probably be used to bail out corporate agribusiness companies like Bayer-Monsanto and factory farms instead of the people that need assistance the most, too.
Here’s where you come in: Right now, Congress is preparing for the next stimulus package. And with your help, it could put families in need of food assistance, family farmers, and local producers of healthy food before polluting corporations. But your elected officials won’t act unless they hear from you, John.
Tell Congress: Don’t bail out Big Ag at the expense of family farmers and at-risk families!
Millions of Americans have lost their jobs and desperately need food assistance. But Congress failed to increase benefits for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -- a.k.a. food stamps -- in the last stimulus. Food banks across the nation are struggling to keep up with increased demand. Just last week, over 10,000 families lined up for assistance at a San Antonio food bank. If Congress doesn’t prioritize helping families in need of food in the next stimulus package, millions of people will go hungry.
And at a time when our healthcare system is in crisis, it’s more important than ever that Americans have access to healthy food. People with diet-related conditions like heart disease and diabetes are at greater risk of COVID-19 complications. Congress must ensure that fruit and vegetable farmers have the support they need to keep producing healthy food instead of subsidizing unhealthy factory-farmed meat and processed foods.
A strong food system is crucial to overcoming this crisis. That’s why the next stimulus bill must support the farmers who need it most -- especially farmers of color who have been deeply harmed by discrimination over the last century and are particularly vulnerable to economic damage from COVID.
Tell your legislators: Put family farmers and families before Big Ag’s profits!
The next stimulus package must do better, both for family farmers and the families in need. Farmers need assistance to ensure they can continue producing food on their land. And families need assistance to ensure they can continue purchasing healthy foods.
But Congress has shown they won’t act unless we make our voices heard. Can we count on you to tell your legislators to protect families and farmers, not Big Ag, in the next stimulus package?
Urge your legislators: Ensure a healthy food system!
Standing with you,
Jason Davidson,
Food and agriculture campaigner,
Friends of the Earth
