“Hunger is criminal, food is an inalienable right.” – Pope Francis

Over the past year and a half, Congress has been working behind the scenes on a Farm Bill reauthorization. This legislation is critical to addressing hunger in the United States and around the world. The House Agriculture Committee recently voted to approve a Farm Bill proposal. While the bill makes efforts to improve aspects of nutrition assistance, it includes a provision that would weaken the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s largest anti-hunger program. 

The bill would undermine a recent change to the Thrifty Food Plan, a USDA-developed estimate of how much it actually costs to feed a family on a budget. The Thrifty Food Plan determines how SNAP benefits are calculated. While SNAP benefits would still be adjusted for inflation, they would not be allowed to increase to reflect the market value of changing nutritional guidance. It’s projected this policy would cut future SNAP benefits for all recipients, totaling roughly $30 billion dollars over ten years.  

In light of the House Agriculture Committee’s approval of a Farm Bill that makes cuts to future SNAP benefits, please tell your Representative to reject any Farm Bill measures that weaken SNAP, including efforts to undermine the current Thrifty Food Plan benefit adjustment. Food insecurity is on the rise, impacting 44.2 million people in the United States. Now is the time to strengthen and improve programs that help meet basic human needs, not to backtrack on improvements that have made a difference in the lives of millions of people who rely on SNAP.  

We encourage you to add your own personal story or thoughts about why strengthening the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is important to you and your community. 

Learn more about USCCB’s position on the most recent Farm Bill proposals here. 

Learn more about USCCB support for the Thrifty Food Plan benefit adjustment here.