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.
An archive of this webinar is available here.
The Affordable Care Act. Medicaid. Medicare. SNAP. SSI. Tax rates for the wealthy and corporations. The new Congress wants to repeal, restrict and/or cut all of these. How will they use their rules to try to carry all this out? And how will Senators who oppose these goals try to stop the cuts?
Presenters:
Ellen Nissenbaum, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Deborah Weinstein, Coalition on Human Needs
Representative Jim McGovern
Moderator: Ellen Teller, Food Research and Action Center
What you’ll learn:
The new Congress will try to repeal the Affordable Care Act in January, so President Trump can sign it soon after his inauguration, and enact some kind of replacement later. They will use budget rules to try to get the repeal done with a simple majority. Ellen Nissenbaum, a renowned expert on the congressional budget rules, will explain how the rules work, and what leverage points may exist for opponents. Some actions can pass with only 51 Senators; many others require 60 votes to pass. These rules affect the strategies over plans to cut/restrict critically important human needs programs, as well as gigantic tax cut proposals. Advocates need to understand the rules, to work effectively with congressional allies to hold off extreme proposals. Deborah Weinstein will talk about advocacy strategies we can use together.