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.
Please join The Arc of the United States, Center for American Progress, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, Little Lobbyists, Shriver Center for Poverty Law, and Social Security Works next Tuesday, January 28, from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.. ET for briefing on the Proposed Rule on Continuing Disability Reviews.
January 28, 2020
11:00 am-12:00 pm
385 Russell Senate Office Building
The Trump administration is attacking Social Security and demanding that 2.6 million people with disabilities fill out complex and unnecessary paperwork and cutting benefits. If the administration’s rule is enacted, we’re facing a $2.6 billion cut by 2029 to Social Security benefits for people with disabilities and chronic conditions, including seniors, children, and people with cancer. The administration is increasing the number of onerous continuing disability reviews and resurrecting the playbook of the 1980s when a dramatic increase in random reviews lead to tens of thousands of people losing their lives. These cuts to the Social Security program resulted in a massive outcry from the public and both chambers of Congress and were repealed. As we did back then, we will fight back. Join us to tell the Administration that we will support NO SOCIAL SECURITY CUTS!
Participants: Members of Congress, People with Disabilities, Family Members, Experts on Social Security
The event will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/socialsecurityworks
Please contact rcokley@americanprogress.org with any questions or accessibility needs or concerns.
Promote on Twitter using #NoSocialSecurityCuts
Note from CHN:
You can still comment in opposition to this proposed rule – Deadline: Friday, January 31 at midnight.
Background and simple links to submit comments are here.