The Senate Farm Bill released this week takes a reasonable and bipartisan approach to SNAP. In contrast to the harmful proposals in the House version, the Senate bill recognizes that SNAP works to reduce hunger and poverty, and makes reasonable changes to protect and strengthen the nation’s most effective anti-hunger program.
Summary of Senate Farm Bill SNAP provisions
The bill’s proposed changes to SNAP focus on five main areas:
- Making targeted SNAP improvements for certain vulnerable populations, including seniors and people with disabilities;
- Strengthening connections between employers and SNAP Employment & Training to support positive work outcomes for SNAP participants;
- Making modest changes to improve SNAP’s already strong program integrity;
- Modernizing state eligibility and Electronic Benefit Transfer systems and technology; and,
- Continuing to invest in programs that support healthy eating, including the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program.
Though the Senate bill has not yet been scored by the Congressional Budget Office, you can learn more about the bill’s proposed changes to SNAP by reading this detailed analysis from the Center on Budget and Policies Priorities.
What’s next in the Farm Bill process?
The bill is scheduled to be marked up by the Senate Agriculture Committee on June 13th, and possibly head to the Senate Floor for a vote within the next two weeks. CFPA and our anti-hunger partners are urging the Senate Agriculture Committee to pass this bipartisan farm bill with no harmful amendments to SNAP. We call on Senators Feinstein and Harris to continue to show their strong support for SNAP by opposing any amendments on the Senate Floor that would cut SNAP or make harmful changes that would take away food assistance from struggling families who need help.
Meanwhile, the House will have until June 22nd to hold a revote on its version of the Farm Bill, HR 2. House leadership is working hard to secure the votes needed to pass the bill. Now is a critical time for all Californians fighting against hunger and poverty to make their voices heard in opposition to the House bill’s harmful proposals. For instructions on how to contact your Representative, and a short sample script to use, please see our recent call to action on HR 2.
Learn more about who SNAP helps by reading CFPA’s recent photo essay by Rucha Chitnis, “Our Children are Sacred Too. But Our Policies Let Them Down.”
CalFresh helps alleviate hunger and poverty in every California congressional district. Learn more about the importance of protecting and strengthening CalFresh in the Farm Bill by viewing and sharing CFPA’s Farm Bill and CalFresh Congressional District Fact Sheets.
Stay up to date on the Farm Bill and receive timely calls to action by signing up for our Federal Advocacy/Farm Bill email alerts.
Questions? Contact: Jared Call at 213.482.8200 ext 201
