Feeding America Statement On House Consideration of the 2018 Farm Bill

CHICAGO, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Feeding America is deeply concerned that the Farm Bill being brought to the House floor, today, will cause irreversible damage to the people we serve by restricting access to food for families, children, veterans, and seniors.  If this bill becomes law, Feeding America's nationwide network of member food banks will not be able to make up for the lost meals. We urge lawmakers in the House to reconsider their approach and amend their legislation before sending it to the Senate to ensure that the final legislation does not take food off the table for families who need it.

"The harsh cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) included in the House Farm Bill would hurt Americans facing hunger across the country and reverse decades of progress in addressing food insecurity across the United States. While Feeding America's nationwide network of member food banks distributes more than four billion meals annually, our contribution to addressing hunger pales in comparison to the assistance made possible by the SNAP program. For every one meal provided by the Feeding America network, SNAP provides 12.

"The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the legislation's changes to the SNAP program would reduce food assistance benefits by more than $17 billion over 10 years and Feeding America's own analysis concluded that the net effect would mean 9.2 billion fewer meals for Americans facing hunger, including children, seniors, veterans and individuals with disabilities. Simply put, this legislation would have a boat-swamping effect on the Feeding America network of member food banks and increase hunger in the United States.

"As the Farm Bill process continues in both the House and Senate, we encourage leaders in both chambers to work on the legislation in a bipartisan manner, and to keep in mind those individuals and families for whom SNAP is an important building block on the pathway to a better life."

About Feeding America

Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 46 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Contact
Heather Janik
Feeding America
202.795.2456

SOURCE Feeding America

Related Links

http://www.feedingamerica.org