Check Out SNAP Bills We’re Supporting
Check out FRAC’s Bills We’re Supporting page for bills introduced in the 117th Congress related to SNAP, college hunger, and other critical issues.
Call your Members: Keep Pressure on Farm Bill Conferees
Actions Needed to Protect and Strengthen SNAP
- Urge your Members of Congress to: protect and strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during Farm Bill Conference deliberations; speak out in support of SNAP and the Senate Farm Bill SNAP provisions; and reject any cuts or efforts to weaken the program – especially the draconian provisions contained in the House Farm Bill. Tell them to make sure the Farm Bill keeps food on the table for people struggling against hunger. (Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121)
- Click to Tweet: #HouseofRepresentatives & #Senate: Protect and strengthen #SNAP to keep food on the tables of people struggling against hunger. Reject any cuts to #SNAP & adopt the #SenateFarmBill SNAP provisions in conference. @fractweets http://bit.ly/2wAWAuX
- Lift up the importance of SNAP in your district, community, and state by writing a letter-to-the-editor (see sample here) that urges your Members of Congress to support SNAP in the Farm Bill.
Messaging for Members of the House
- Protect and strengthen SNAP in the farm bill conference process and keep food on the table for people struggling against hunger by urging leadership to reject any cuts to SNAP and to adopt the Senate Farm Bill SNAP provisions in the conference agreement on the Farm Bill.
- Thank Representatives who voted “No” on H.R. 2 and urge them to continue to protect and strengthen SNAP. (May 18 vote that failed to pass; June 21 vote that passed.)
- Urge moderate Republicans who voted “Yes” on H.R. 2 to support the Senate SNAP provisions, which would protect food access for vulnerable people in their districts.
Messaging for Members of the Senate
- Thank the 68 Senators who voted to table a harmful SNAP amendment during Senate consideration of its Farm Bill.
- Urge all Senators to continue to protect and strengthen SNAP during conference by urging conferees and leadership to adopt the Senate Farm Bill SNAP provisions and reject the draconian SNAP provisions in the House Farm Bill.
Background
After the House and Senate passed very different versions of the Farm Bill, the 2018 Farm Bill Conference is underway. The conferees held their first public meeting on September 5—watch the webcast recording. Although Farm Bill conferees and Congressional Leadership are important targets, every Member of Congress needs to be urged to protect and strengthen SNAP by rejecting the draconian House SNAP provisions.
The Senate passed its version of the Farm Bill on June 28, 86 to 11, after voting 68 to 30 to table a very harmful SNAP amendment offered by Senator Kennedy (R-LA) that would have imposed harsh work rules and required food retail employees to check photo identification for SNAP EBT card consumers. The House Farm Bill that squeaked by on June 21 by a vote of 213 to 211 includes draconian cuts to SNAP that would take food off the table of more than 2 million individuals. Unlike the House bill, the Senate bill protects SNAP benefits and eligibility and would keep food on the table for struggling households.
Be sure to check out FRAC’s SNAP/Farm Bill page for the latest updates and FRAC’s Farm Bill Resource Toolkit for resources you can use to enhance your advocacy, including FRAC’s analyses on the House and Senate Farm Bills and interactive maps highlighting the importance of SNAP in your Congressional District, county, and state.
If you have any questions or would like to provide feedback from your outreach to Members of Congress, please contact Lauren Badger (lbadger@frac.org) or Ellen Teller (eteller@frac.org).