John,

Congress has until December 31st to pass a Farm Bill―legislation that will extend agriculture, climate, and conservation programs, assist rural families and communities, and that may make changes to vital anti-hunger programs. As Congress confronts the deadline, it can choose to protect and improve anti-hunger programs. Or it can cut them.

The Farm Bill is normally reauthorized every five years. It includes support for farmers, conservation measures, assistance for rural areas, and vital nutrition programs―and could be a chance to build a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable food and farm system, and meaningfully support workers and the next generation of farmers. The process has been stalled, and now Congressional leaders are looking to pass a Farm Bill before the end of this calendar year.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has introduced the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act that is made up of over 100 bipartisan proposals that promote the well-being of people and the planet. The bill continues improvements so SNAP benefits can better cover the costs of a healthy diet, creates a long-overdue path for Puerto Rico to be included in the SNAP program, removes the lifetime ban on nutrition assistance for individuals convicted of a drug related felony, expands access for college students facing hunger, protects victims of theft of SNAP benefits, and increases funding for food banks.¹

When it comes to funding critical nutrition programs, Sen. Stabenow said on the Senate floor:

“But a Farm Bill must also be about the single mother in Michigan working two jobs who needs just a little bit of help to put food on the table so her children can thrive.

At a time when food insecurity rates in our country increased for the second year in a row, it is absolutely unacceptable for anyone to attempt to cut SNAP and other nutrition programs.

I refuse to leave this mom behind. Not on my watch.

We should be investing in the Farm Bill nutrition programs that are at the heart of the family safety net in this country.

My Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act does that and lays the groundwork to see a future where we end hunger in America. It protects nutrition assistance and draws a clear line in the sand that we will not walk away from the progress we have made to keep families fed in this country.”²

The programs proposed in the Senate version of the Farm Bill provide critical support for the most vulnerable and must be kept in the overall bill. Take action now and urge Congress to reject cuts to SNAP benefits in any legislative package through next year.

The House version of the Farm Bill that passed out of the Agriculture Committee earlier this year calls for a $30 billion cut to SNAP over the next decade, making it harder to purchase healthy foods.

No one should go hungry in the richest country in the world. Instead of implementing punitive funding cuts, Congress must work together and use the Farm Bill as a vehicle to protect and improve access to SNAP and other nutrition programs. They can focus on equitable access and program administration while increasing SNAP’s purchasing power.

Send a direct message to Congress now urging them to reject funding cuts to SNAP today.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

¹ Summary of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act
² VIDEO: Chairwoman Stabenow Introduces Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act