Media Contact:
Jordan Baker jbaker@frac.org202-640-1118
Statement attributable to Ellen Teller, Chief Government Affairs Officer, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, June 12, 2024 — FRAC is deeply disappointed by the latest Farm Bill proposal released by Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR), which seeks to cut nearly $30 billion from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits over the next decade while claiming that no SNAP participants will see a single benefit cut.
This proposal claims that the annual inflation adjustment will be enough, which ignores the fact that prices at the grocery store have outpaced inflation, and that the inflation adjustment does not take current prices, food and beverage options on the market, and nutritional guidance into consideration. This proposal also seeks to privatize SNAP administration and require error-prone states — states experiencing frequent errors due to administrative burdens, understaffing, high case volumes, human error, and resource constraints — to cover SNAP benefit costs.
The framework, which mirrors the Agriculture Committee-passed House Farm Bill authored by Committee Chair G.T. Thompson (R-PA), would jeopardize the future food security of the more than 41.4 million people who rely on SNAP to put food on the table. These proposals do not get to the root of the issue, rather they will worsen situations within state agencies and negatively impact SNAP applicants and participants.
The Farm Bill should, instead, be utilized as an opportunity for Congress to make progress to end food insecurity and hunger at a time when an increasing number of people in America are wrestling with food insecurity as costs for basic needs increase, and wages remain stagnant. Strengthening SNAP and the commodity assistance programs — The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Commodity Supplemental Food Program, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program — should be a top priority for any bipartisan Farm Bill. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow’s (D-MI) Farm Bill proposal would strengthen these programs without harming SNAP.
It’s time for Congress to return to its bipartisan roots and pass a Farm Bill that prioritizes improving the lives of millions of households who struggle to get the nutrition they need. We urge lawmakers to uphold this fundamental Farm Bill principle and only advance comprehensive legislation that protects and strengthens SNAP.
You can’t lead a nation if you can’t feed a nation. Hungry people can’t wait.
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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, and Instagram.
