Today, The House of Representatives voted 198 to 213 to defeat HR 2, the Republican Farm Bill proposal that would have made draconian cuts to SNAP/CalFresh. While CFPA and our anti-hunger allies are pleased that this ill-conceived and harmful bill failed to pass today, we must remain vigilant in the days ahead. House Speaker Paul Ryan filed a motion to reconsider, which means that the House will have until June 22nd to hold a revote on the Farm Bill. We expect House leadership to be working hard over the next few weeks to secure the votes needed to pass the bill.
We thank those in Congress that took a courageous stand against hunger and said no to the harmful SNAP provisions in the bill. We also remain deeply concerned that some members of the California Congressional Delegation voted in support of taking food off of the tables of 2 million people struggling to make ends meet.
This is another a critical time to let your member know how you feel about today’s vote, in advance of a potential revote. You can see how your member of Congress voted on the bill here.
To find your Representative and their contact information, call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or use this link.
If your member voted no because of the harmful SNAP provisions, please reach out and thank them for rejecting this partisan bill that would deeply cut SNAP/CalFresh.
If your member voted in favor of the bill, let them know that you are disappointed that they would vote to cut vital food assistance for millions of low-income working families, seniors, and people with disabilities. It is also important to highlight to those members that recent amendments made a bad bill even worse for low-income households facing hunger.
If your member did not vote on the bill, such as Representative David Valadao, ask them what they’re reasoning was and urge them to reject the bill’s cuts to SNAP/CalFresh and vote no on any future revote.
Today’s failed passage makes clear that it is time for Congress to return to its long and successful history of bipartisan commitment to reducing hunger in the Farm Bill. A Farm Bill we can all be proud of is one that protects and strengthens SNAP/CalFresh.
For more information and updates about the Farm Bill, visit CFPA’s Farm Bill page.
Stay up to the minute and receive timely calls to action by signing up for CFPA’s Nutrition Action Alerts.
Questions? Contact Jared Call at 213.482.8200 ext 201 or Melissa Cannon at 510.433.1122 ext 102
