Friday Advocates Meeting
CHN’s regular Friday Advocates Meetings are off-the-record. Thank you for not quoting speakers in materials you send to your networks. If you would like to attend a FAM, please contact Joe Battistelli: jbattistelli@chn.org
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.
CHN’s regular Friday Advocates Meetings are off-the-record. Thank you for not quoting speakers in materials you send to your networks. If you would like to attend a FAM, please contact Joe Battistelli: jbattistelli@chn.org
Honoring: Marian Wright Edelman and Peter Edelman 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. And there is much to celebrate: We’ve stood up against...
CHN’s regular Friday Advocates Meetings are off-the-record. Thank you for not quoting speakers in materials you send to your networks. If you would like to attend a FAM, please contact Joe Battistelli: jbattistelli@chn.org
Right now, Congress is looking to add bipartisan tax legislation to the end-of-year budget package. It is imperative that if there is any tax legislation helping businesses and the rich that we also do what we can to help low-wage workers. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child...
The National Academy of Social Insurance, with support from Caring Across Generations and the Ford Foundation, recently released a groundbreaking report on Designing Universal Family Care: State-Based Social Insurance Programs for Early Child Care and Education, Paid Family and Medical Leave, and Long-Term Services and Supports. The report explores strategies that...
The season of giving is here, and after your post-Thanksgiving #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday shopping, on #GivingTuesday, December 3rd, please consider supporting the Coalition on Human Needs (CHN). CHN has been fighting for human needs for close to 40 years. This past year alone, CHN has: Fought for an accurate count...
CHN’s regular Friday Advocates Meetings are off-the-record. Thank you for not quoting speakers in materials you send to your networks. If you would like to attend a FAM, please contact Joe Battistelli: jbattistelli@chn.org
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...
CHN’s regular Friday Advocates Meetings are off-the-record. Thank you for not quoting speakers in materials you send to your networks. If you would like to attend a FAM, please contact Joe Battistelli: jbattistelli@chn.org
Join 1,200+ of your fellow anti-hunger advocates in Washington, D.C., for two days of “can’t miss” networking opportunities, content-rich sessions, interactive training, and the National CACFP Leadership track, followed by a day on Capitol Hill. You’ll go home with an arsenal of best practices, innovative advocacy methods, and personal connections...
CHN’s regular Friday Advocates Meetings are off-the-record. Thank you for not quoting speakers in materials you send to your networks. If you would like to attend a FAM, please contact Joe Battistelli: jbattistelli@chn.org
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic Friday Advocates' Meetings have been halted until further notice. For further information please email Richelle Friedman at: rfriedman@chn.org