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.
Reception: Thursday, July 13th 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
CHN’s Human Needs Hero is coming back in-person this year! Join us to celebrate a true champion for human needs.
Every year, the Coalition on Human Needs gathers advocates, from neophytes to veterans with decades of experience, to celebrate our community’s steadfast commitment to standing up for the most vulnerable in our society. This year, we are especially excited to honor an exceptional champion who has spent decades fighting for human needs: Our very own Sister Richelle Friedman.
For over thirty years, Richelle tirelessly brought the truth about poverty, equity, and meeting human needs to Congress, the White House, and the general public. As Director of Public Policy for CHN, her passionate commitment to justice was a guiding light for countless human needs advocates. As determined as she is personable, Richelle’s tenacity ensured key policymakers and their staff had to confront the realities of those living on the margins and could not ignore the policy solutions that work. Her tireless work contributed to real progress in fighting hunger and poverty. Richelle spearheaded the Strengthening America’s Values and Economy (SAVE) for All campaign, a national coalition of organizations calling on Congress to protect and empower people with low incomes; promote job creation and strengthen the green economy; require the wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share; and cut wasteful spending in the Pentagon and elsewhere. Her work brought together the human needs community and nurtured the next generation of policy advocates. Now that she is, as she says, “leaving her ministry in D.C.,” it will be a very special time for you and many other human needs advocates to celebrate Richelle.
In honoring Richelle, we are honoring the very personification of the values that make our Coalition special. So we hope you will join the Coalition on Human Needs in celebrating Richelle’s remarkable achievements, and help ensure we can continue the fight against poverty, systemic racism, food and housing insecurity, voter suppression, and other injustices that contribute to widening inequality and hardship.
This year is especially exciting for us, as it is CHN’s first in-person Human Needs Hero reception in nearly four years. While we’ve been happy to come together virtually, coming together in the same room has been sorely missed. So if you can, we hope you will join us in the beautiful Solidarity Room of the AFL-CIO, 815 Black Lives Matter Plaza NW, Washington, DC 20006 (formerly 815 16th Street, NW in Washington) to share in laughter, conversation, and food and drinks for a special evening in warm celebration of our much-loved Human Needs Hero.
This is our only fundraising event each year and all proceeds raised go to support the work of the Coalition on Human Needs. We are hoping you and/or your organization will honor Richelle and help CHN by becoming a Human Needs Hero sponsor. You’ll be listed in the program and receive tickets to the event. See full sponsorship information below.
Ready to sponsor? Use the form below to provide your tax-deductible contribution toward an organizational or individual sponsorship, buy lines in the program, or purchase individual tickets.
Because this event is a great opportunity to bring the human needs community together, we encourage sponsors to invite interns and new staff as well as experienced advocates who have shared much of CHN’s history.
Program Ad Deadline:
Please submit finished program ads electronically (no PDF’s, please) to Leo Nguyen at lnguyen@chn.org, by COB Friday, July 7th.
Please feel free to contact Julene Jarnot by email at heroes@chn.org or phone (202-223-2532 ext. 115) with any questions regarding sponsorship or ad formatting.
Important note: In the form below, “ticket” refers to one sponsorship for the first four categories. When sponsoring, please purchase only one sponsorship. If you are sponsoring, please email your guest list to Julene Jarnot at heroes@chn.org.
If you have difficulty with the form below, use this link instead. Prefer to pay by check? Please print and fill out the form at this link here.