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Statement attributable to Crystal FitzSimons, president, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) 

WASHINGTON, February 13, 2026 — The Farm Bill text released today by House Agriculture Committee Chair G.T. Thompson (R-PA) misses a critical opportunity to fight hunger in America. Instead of strengthening the very tools designed to support  food security — during a time when an alarming number of households are struggling to put food on the table — Chairman Thompson’s mark fails to include funding to restore the historic $187 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and harmful SNAP provisions enacted in the budget reconciliation law (H.R. 1). 

H.R. 1 shifts unprecedented costs to already cash-strapped states, expands time limits, and strips food benefits away from caregivers, veterans, older workers, people experiencing homelessness, and humanitarian-based noncitizens. H.R. 1 is an unforgiving assault on America’s hungry, deliberately dismantling our nation’s first line of defense against hunger. 

Yet, when given the opportunity to correct this harm in the latest Farm Bill proposal, Chairman Thompson unveiled a package that will only deepen hunger instead of fixing it. Hunger is not something Congress can afford to ignore. 

In addition to reversing the harmful provisions in H.R. 1, any Farm Bill must: 

  • reinstate the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA ERS) Household Food Security report to ensure that we can understand the extent to which families are struggling to put food on the table and that SNAP and other federal nutrition programs can effectively respond to the need;  
  • stop USDA’s reorganization and ensure the agency remains fully equipped to administer SNAP and the other federal nutrition programs that feed the nation;  
  • end efforts to restrict what foods SNAP participants can buy so that individuals can select foods that align with their dietary needs, preferences, and cultural values; 
  • and prohibit USDA from ordering states to turn over personal and sensitive participant data, potentially undermining confidence in the program and discouraging eligible households from applying. 

SNAP helps over 42 million Americans put food on the table. By boosting food-purchasing power through normal channels of commerce, SNAP reduces hunger, improves health, lowers health care costs, and stabilizes Americans facing trade-offs with rent and medicine. Beyond households, it supports food retailers and ensures family farms remain open and keep their communities fed. 

The proven benefits of SNAP are clear as day, which is why members of the House Agriculture Committee must reject Chairman Thompson’s proposal. Congress should not advance any Farm Bill or farm relief legislation that fails to invest in SNAP and address the crushing impacts of SNAP cuts in H.R.1. — because no Farm Bill is better than a bad one.   

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The Food Research & Action Center improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads,  and Bluesky.