Check out FRAC’s Bills We’re Supporting page for additional priorities for families struggling against hunger.
Schedule SNAP / Farm Bill Recess Appointments NOW
With Your Members of Congress
Now is the time for anti-hunger advocates to implement their outreach plans to the 118th Congress. The new Congress is busy with the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, Fiscal Year 2024 budget and appropriations negotiations, debate on raising the debt ceiling, and much more. Anti-hunger advocates must engage at the very beginning of these discussions and negotiations.
Action Steps to Take Now to Begin Engagement With Members of Congress (MOC)
- Make your April recess appointments now with your senators and representatives (April 1–16). A great way to actively engage your Member is to invite them to visit your agency, outreach center, and program sites to get an on-the-ground look at programs and outreach in action. Here are resources that Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) has created to help you identify a site and fully prepare for the visit. Organizing a coalition of local leaders to jointly meet at the Member’s District Office during the two-week recess period is also an easy way to engage.
- Share FRAC’s Legislative Priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill with Capitol Hill staff.
- Save the Date: FRAC will host a webinar on March 21 at 12 p.m. ET, “Engaging your Members of Congress on SNAP and the Farm Bill Virtually and at Home.” This webinar will discuss engagement opportunities for state advocates with Members and staff virtually and in-person. Speakers will focus on advocacy and education about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for new and returning Members of Congress and will provide resources to document the local impacts of the hunger cliff on families, individuals, food agencies, and others in your community. We will also focus on what the MOC needs to know from you and others in your district/state and help you provide recommendations grounded in very real events and impacts.
FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act (‘Omnibus’) Legislative Summary
On December 23, Congress passed the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill to fund the federal government through fiscal year 2023. The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies funding bill, one of 12 subcommittee bills contained in the omnibus spending package, provides $25.5 billion — an increase of $737 million, 3 percent above fiscal year (FY) 2022 — to fund U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. The committee highlights can be found here and a division-by-division summary of the bill is here.
It is important to note that one offset (funding mechanism) for certain provisions in the legislation was a premature cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Emergency Allotments (EAs). This cut will hasten the hunger cliff for millions of people with low incomes as soon as March 2023 (as opposed to the end of the duration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration). For more on the SNAP EAs cuts, go to Food Research & Action Center’s statement.
Learn more in FRAC’s full FY 2023 Omnibus Legislative Summary.
Congress Passes Bipartisan, Bicameral Keep Kids Fed Act
On Friday, June 24, 2022, Congress passed the Keep Kids Fed Act (S. 2089), a bipartisan and bicameral bill to help mitigate the impact of the loss of the child nutrition waivers due to expire next Thursday, June 30, 2022. This bill is an important first step that would increase reimbursements to schools and child care centers, support access to summer meals, and streamline access to healthy meals for children in family child care. Learn more in this blog post.
White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health
Learn more about FRAC’s priorities for the upcoming White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health and how to get involved.
FRAC’s 2022 Federal Nutrition Program Priorities
As part of the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, FRAC compiled “Leave Behinds” or one-pagers outlining our legislative asks which you can share with your legislators. Explore the Leave Behinds: Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2022 Primer, Child Nutrition Reauthorization Priorities, Urgent Child Nutrition Priorities: Waivers, CEP, Summer EBT, Farm Bill Primer, and Farm Bill Priorities: Congress Must Protect and Strengthen SNAP and Other Anti-Hunger Programs.
2,000 Organizations Urge Congress to Extend Child Nutrition Waivers
The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) and nearly 2,000 national, state, and local organizations from every state across the country, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, signed a letter urging Congress to swiftly extend the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) authority to issue nationwide waivers for the Child Nutrition Programs beyond the current waivers’ expiration date of June 30, 2022.
FRAC Applauds the House of Representatives for Passing Critical Child Nutrition and Anti-Poverty Provisions in the Build Back Better Act
Passing the Build Back Better Act is a critical next step in the right direction toward addressing the alarming rates of childhood hunger and poverty in this country. FRAC now urges the Senate to swiftly take up this legislation without delay. FRAC also urges Senate leaders to reject any amendments that could weaken the provisions that currently provide children with the nutrition they will need year-round as they overcome the educational, health, and economic impacts of the pandemic. Take action today.
Nearly 800 Organizations Urge Congressional Leaders to Pass Build Back Better (Reconciliation) Package
On September 29, nearly 800 national, state, and community-based organizations – from every state and the District of Columbia – joined together in a letter urging passage of the House Build Back Better Act. The letter emphatically states the need to protect the size, scope, and spending contained in the package, especially the child nutrition and anti-poverty provisions.
This is a critical time to act — a reduction in the package could severely reduce the effectiveness and impact of the anti-poverty provisions, including the child nutrition provisions.
The letter urges Congress to immediately pass the House Build Back Better Act. It also states that millions more low-income children will have access to nutritious school meals free of charge during the school year and summer EBT to purchase meals when school is out during the long summer break. In addition, children – across the country and in every community – depend on these nutritious meals now and as we emerge from the devastating impacts caused by the pandemic.
Take Action: Tag Your Members of Congress (Twitter handles here) and urge them to Support key anti-hunger provisions in the #BuildBackBetterAct.
On September 10, the House Education and Labor Committee completed its markup of the Build Back Better Act and advanced, by a vote of 28-22, nearly $35 billion in additional Child Nutrition Programs funding. These critical investments would ensure children have access to the nutrition they need year-round, and help families recover from the pandemic. As other House committees mark up their portion of the bill, deliberations on the overall reconciliation package continue with House and Senate Democratic leadership and Administration officials.
Take Action Now: Advocates are urged to contact their Members of Congress immediately to support the House Build Back Better Act, a historic investment in anti-poverty programs. It is critically important to reiterate the impact these provisions will have on children and families in the Member’s District/State. House and Senate champions must stay strong in protecting the overall package, especially anti-hunger and anti-poverty provisions. Members of Congress who are demanding a reduction in the size of the package must be held accountable and warned of the harmful consequences to the health and welfare of constituents back home. Learn more.
Budget Reconciliation 101
Curious about Budget Reconciliation? Unsure about the process or special rules to look out for? Explore this three-page report that explains what you need to know.
Food Research & Action Center’s Transition Recommendations: “This is the Time to Heal in America,” and It Begins With Addressing Hunger
FRAC’s transition recommendations provide a roadmap for the Biden-Harris Administration to address hunger in America. It sets forth the harms of food insecurity, summarizes the strengths of the federal nutrition programs, and concludes with high-priority recommendations for administrative and legislative asks that need to be taken to reduce hunger and poverty.
Looking for the latest information from FRAC on the coronavirus? Our COVID-19 page has all the updates.
Sign Up for the FRAC Action Network!
Urge your Representatives to support and strengthen the Federal Nutrition Programs. Learn about the latest opportunities for action by signing up for the FRAC Action Network. Hungry people can’t wait.
Check Out the Bills We’re Supporting
As Congress begins the Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) process, find information on the current child nutrition bills, as well as others, on the Bills We’re Supporting page. And look for the latest CNR news and resources on the Child Nutrition Reauthorization page.
Take Action
Read FRAC’s CNR Primer
What's Child Nutrition Reauthorization?
Organize a Site Visit
Read More
Recent Publications & Data
See More Resources- Advocacy Tool
Utilize this Joint Statement by National Organizations and Farm Bill Stakeholder Groups in Support of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), signed by nearly 225 national organizations and entities, in your Farm Bill advocacy to protect and strengthen the program.
Read the sign-on letter - Report
Food Research & Action Center’s report, The Reach of School Breakfast and Lunch During the 2021–2022 School Year , reveals that just over 15.5 million children received a school breakfast, and 29.9 million children received a school lunch on an average day during the 2021–2022 school year — an increase of 1.6 million children in breakfast, and 10.1 million in lunch compared to the 2020–2021 school year.
Read the report - Fact Sheet
This past year, states have seen a dramatic increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program benefits reported stolen from clients electronically through “skimming” and “phishing” crimes.
Find background on skimming, details on congressional actions to address skimming thefts in the short term, and action items for state agencies in FRAC’s Skimming Fact Sheet.
Read the fact sheet - Fact Sheet
The 2023 Farm Bill presents an opportunity to strengthen SNAP benefit adequacy and equitable access. Find FRAC’s legislative priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill.
Discover FRAC's priorities
News
FRAC Chat
Across the country, we need a system of school meals that serves all children and values the people who get it to the table. That’s why National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is advocating for values-aligned universal meals focused on equity for the most impacted stakeholders across the food system. We are pleased to work with partners from across the country, including Food Research & Action Center, we created the “Who’s at the Table School Meals Campaign” to provide tools that communicate how our shared values can create healthy school meals for all kids that transform our food system, and advocate for the policies to do that.
This Congress is indeed a tale of very of two very different perspectives. Even as a “hunger cliff” is hitting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households in March, and tens of millions of people are losing an average of $82 a person a month in grocery money, some conservatives are pushing for harsh changes to further undermine SNAP’s access for unemployed and underemployed people.
Millions of households face a hunger cliff now that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s Emergency Allotments have ended. Many of these same households may also be at risk of losing health insurance coverage as the Medicaid continuous coverage provision ends on March 31, exacerbating hardships for household health, food security, and economic security.