Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) Introduces Bill to Increase SNAP Benefits
H.R. 1368, which has 106 cosponsors, would increase benefits for all SNAP participants by basing benefits on the Low Cost Meal Plan instead of the Thrifty Food Plan, increase SNAP benefits for families with children with high shelter costs by removing the cap on the SNAP shelter deduction, raise the SNAP monthly minimum benefit to $25, and authorize a SNAP Standard Excess Medical Deduction for persons who are elderly or have disabilities (with a minimum standard of $140).
USDA’s Proposed SNAP Rule Will Arbitrarily Limit States’ Ability to Provide Benefits, Increasing Hunger and Poverty
The Trump Administration’s proposed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rule would diminish food assistance for unemployed and underemployed people in areas with insufficient jobs; undo long-settled regulations; cynically attempt to end run Congress; and increase hunger and nutrition-related diseases.
President Signs Farm Bill
President Trump signed the Farm Bill into law on December 20. Read FRAC’s analysis. The final Farm Bill conference report was filed the evening of Monday, December 10. On December 11, the Senate passed the conference report, 87-13. The House passed the bill on December 12 by a vote of 369-47. Check out FRAC’s statement.
Thank you for taking action to protect immigrant families
The public comment period on the Department of Homeland Security’s proposed public charge rule is now closed. Thanks in part to the efforts of anti-hunger and nutrition stakeholders, more than 210,000 comments on the rule were submitted. Stay tuned for updates on the rulemaking process and see FRAC’s public charge resource page to learn more about continued action to protect immigrant families.
What Every Policymaker Should Know About Hunger
Even though the 2018 elections are over, FRAC’s one-stop-shop for anti-hunger advocates provides the facts and tools needed to ensure every candidate-turned-lawmaker knows about the extent of hunger in America and the solutions that exist to solve it.
ON THE HILL
- 2018 Farm Bill letter to House and Senate Budget and Appropriations CommitteesFRAC is proud to have played a leadership role in developing and garnering support for this letter (pdf) urging the House and Senate Budget and Appropriations Committees not to “hinder development and passage of the 2018 Farm Bill with further cuts.”
- SNAP Support Letters
Take Action
FRAC Response to Dangerous House FY2018 Budget Resolution - Advocates Urged to Take Immediate Action
Find out more
Read FRAC’s Farm Bill Primer
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Prohibit Lunch Shaming: Endorse S. 1064 and H.R. 2401
Organizations: Take action here
Organize a Site Visit
Read MoreThe Anti-Lunch Shaming Act of 2017
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Recent Publications & Data
See More Resources- Advocacy Tool
Federal tax credits, like the EITC and refundable CTC, provide critical supports for millions of working women, children, and families every year. They supplement low wages and can help soften the financial impact of fluctuating incomes or job losses. These credits are especially important for communities of color and women.
Read more - Advocacy Tool
Includes: The Strength of SNAP and SNAP Action Needed; The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP); Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP); Child Nutrition Reauthorization
Read more - Advocacy Tool
Restoring the value of the minimum wage — and helping families cover basic needs — is essential to addressing hunger. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour has not increased since 2009. A more adequate minimum wage would foster the nation’s economic strength and growth to be shared in more equitable ways. Low-income workers and their families would benefit the most from a higher minimum wage, leading to reduced poverty, hunger, and income inequality.
From FRAC, the Economic Policy Institute, and the National Employment Law Project.
Read more - Report
The monthly benefits provided by SNAP enhance the foodpurchasing power of eligible low-income individuals and families. However, as described by many studies, including one by the Institute of Medicine, the greatest shortcoming of SNAP is that benefits for most households are not enough to get through the entire month without hunger or being forced to sacrifice nutrition quality. This limitation persists even in the face of overwhelming evidence on the gains from more adequate monthly SNAP benefits.
This paper briefly analyzes why SNAP benefits are inadequate, reviews the body of research showing positive effects from more adequate SNAP benefits, and concludes with some of the key policy solutions that can improve benefit adequacy.
Read the report
News
FRAC Chat
The 2019 National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference (AHPC) may be over, but the insights shared throughout the conference still feel fresh and resonant, especially as anti-hunger advocates across the nation continue to fight old and new threats to proven nutrition programs that address food insecurity, while looking to grow efforts to reduce hunger. Such insights were offered by the #hungerpc19 plenary speakers: Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE); the Honorable Stephen K. Benjamin; and Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, Ph.D., Diane Yentel, LaQuita Honeysucker, and Matt Knott.
Weren’t able to attend this year’s conference and experience the plenary lineup in person? No worries — we have you covered! See below for full-length videos of the 2019 AHPC plenary speakers.
Breakfast in the classroom helps overcome barriers of timing and convenience, and because it is offered free of charge to all AISD students, it eliminates the stigma associated with school breakfast being only for low-income children. This school year, 52 schools in the Austin Independent School District — including elementary, middle, and high schools — are offering breakfast in the classroom to make the meal more accessible for all students.
Now is the time of year to develop community eligibility outreach plans and start conversations with eligible school districts. Below is information to help ensure eligible school districts apply for community eligibility with their state agency by the June 30, 2019 deadline — which is quickly approaching!