Contact:
Emily Pickren
epickren@frac.org
202-640-1118
Statement attributed to James D. Weill, President, Food Research & Action Center
WASHINGTON, June 8, 2018 — The Food Research & Action Center applauds the Senate Agriculture Committee leadership for their proposed Farm Bill that takes a vastly different approach from the House draft Farm Bill. Chairman Roberts’ and Ranking Member Stabenow’s proposal is:
- carefully considered, positive, and bipartisan;
- a clear acknowledgement of the harm hunger and poverty cause to children, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and struggling workers; and
- a strong affirmation of the strengths of SNAP in addressing hunger and poverty.
The proposed bill moves forward on a range of issues, including reduced paperwork for households with seniors and people with disabilities; and work pilots and job training efforts.
One disconcerting provision in the proposal eliminates bonuses to those states with improved SNAP participation and payment accuracy. FRAC believes that these bonuses have strengthened the integrity and reach of the program and encouraged states to improve SNAP in these respects.
FRAC will continue to work with Congress and our allies in the nonprofit, business, labor and philanthropic communities to produce a nutrition title in a Farm Bill reauthorization that protects and strengthens the crucially important SNAP and other nutrition programs.
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The Food Research & Action Center is the leading national nonprofit organization working to eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition in the United States.
