If the Farm Bill to be considered in the House Committee on Agriculture on May 23 becomes law, it will mean a cut of nearly $30 billion in future 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 and older adults 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.
The House bill makes these cuts by limiting the USDA’s ability to update the Thrifty Food Plan, which determines SNAP benefit levels, 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. These would be the largest cuts to SNAP benefits in almost 30 years if enacted. In addition, these changes will trigger 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.
The House bill also would allow states to let private corporations take over determining eligibility for SNAP. Where this has been tried, replacing merit-based staff resulted in corporate skimping on careful help to people applying for or renewing benefits in order to maximize profits. It would also reverse previously enacted steps to reduce agriculture-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
During this time when many families grapple with the cost of housing and food, Congress must do everything in its power to provide relief to those who need it most.
Click “Start Writing” to send a message to Congress urging them to reject any and all cuts to nutrition programs in the FY2025 Farm Bill.
With 2019 now upon us, the 2020 Census is right around the corner. Join the Coalition on Human Needs and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights to find out what you need to know as the year-long countdown to the next decennial census begins.
You’ll hear from experts on the importance of a complete and accurate count, how inadequate census outreach would be detrimental to our democracy, and an overview of the state of play around whether a citizenship question will be included. You’ll get a preview of what will happen between now and 2020, how to keep up the pressure on Congress and the Administration to ensure a fair Census, and what can be done to improve the count of certain populations such as young children that have been under-counted in the past.
The decennial census is one of the foundational building blocks of our democracy. The demographic information gleaned by the Census Bureau is used to make critical decisions both by the government and the private sector, such as the allocation of funding for social services and where non-profits and businesses decide to expand their operations. And the official count will be used for electoral redistricting and the reapportionment of Congress itself.
So much is at stake, and many important changes are in store for the 2020 Census. This time, there will be a greater emphasis on gathering Census form responses online. And in spite of a federal judge’s recent ruling, questions still remain about the inclusion of a citizenship question for the first time in decades, which could result in lower response rates from populations that have historically been undercounted to begin with.
Keep in mind: Slides and a full recording of the webinar will be available after the event, so even if you cannot attend, you should sign up to gain access to the materials.