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.
President Trump’s latest budget proposal is out. And it’s every bit as bad as we feared.
Recently, President Trump asked a crowd of his donors: “Who the hell cares about the budget?”
We do, and we think you should too. Why? If the new one is similar to his past proposals, there will be very big cuts proposed for human needs programs. Congress has rejected these in the past. But his plans matter, because the Trump Administration has aggressively sought to carry them out through administrative rule-making and moving or refusing to spend money despite Congressional intent.
In this webinar, you’ll hear from experts about what the Trump budget would do and how it would affect people across America now and into the future.
You’ll find out more about how the President’s proposals will affect low- and moderate-income people through likely cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, housing, help for people with disabilities, education and job training, social services, and public health programs. You’ll learn about the impact of tax cuts – who benefits and who is hurt by the loss of revenue.
You’ll also get tips on how to talk about the choices the budget makes, its winners and losers, and how fairer and more sensible choices can better meet our nation’s needs. You’ll get social media tools so you can be a part of a national debate on the right budget choices.
Speakers:
Tamara Fucile: Tamara is Director for Government Affairs and Senior Advisor for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Tamara helps direct the Center’s work with federal policymakers and with other national organizations on a broad range of policy issues, including federal budget and appropriations, nutrition programs, and housing issues. A great budget expert, she served as Associate Director for Legislative Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget from 2014 to 2017.
Deborah Weinstein: Debbie is Executive Director of the Coalition on Human Needs. In her 16 years at CHN, she has focused on educating advocates about how to engage in critical federal budget choices on behalf of low-income people.
Accessibility Assistance: The webinar will be captioned. The webinar will also be recorded, and all registrants will get the recording link with captions, slides, and follow-up information.