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.
Let’s Stand Together in a Time of Emergency: The Mass Poor People’s Assembly and Moral March – ONLINE – Saturday, June 20
This pandemic and economic collapse, along with the recent wave of police brutality and racist murders, have forced this nation into an unprecedented season of crisis and action. The harshness of this emergency results from a deeper and much longer-term crisis, of systemic racism and inequality. The extra burden of death inflicted on Black victims of the coronavirus is a painful legacy of our nations’ racism. In fact, 14,400 more Black Americans would be alive if they died at the same rate from COVID-19 as White Americans. But even before the pandemic, discrimination and deeper poverty visited upon communities of color have created harm that we must work together to end.
This is a time that calls for us to join together, and empower the leadership emerging from poor and dispossessed people that is paving the way forward. And the Poor People’s Campaign has convened a historic, unprecedented digital event to lift these voices.
The Mass Poor People’s Assembly and Moral March on Washington is a 2.5 hour program that will be broadcast on Saturday, June 20th at 10am ET. There will be rebroadcasts at 6pm ET, and again on Sunday June 21st at 6pm ET, at June2020.org. Join CHN and our friends at the Poor People’s Campaign by registering here.
We cannot stress this enough: The June 20 digital rally will be an online rally without precedent. We are coming together to demand that the millions of poor and low-income people in our nation — from every race, creed, gender, sexuality and place — are no longer ignored, dismissed or pushed to the margins of our political and social agenda. Poor and low-income leaders will touch on a host of issues from healthcare to systemic racism, voting rights, housing, water, education, war and peace, and more. You’ll hear from some movement leaders with a history of supporting these causes. And to top it all off you’ll hear some great music from people around the country.
There are so many ways to get involved: By registering, you can take a selfie to have yourself included among thousands of others; your members of Congress will get an invite to join; and you’ll learn about voter registration opportunities and how to get involved in this movement for the long haul.
Register for June 20, 2020 here and tune in for the broadcast on June 20 at 10 AM ET. You can also watch the rebroadcasts at 6 PM ET or on June 21 at 6 PM ET at June2020.org.