Bread for the World Disappointed by Proposed Senate Cuts to Anti-Hunger Program

Bread for the World is extremely disappointed that the Senate Agriculture Committee is recommending cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) as they negotiate the Farm Bill, which funds SNAP.

"With nearly 49 million Americans struggling to put food on the table, now is not the time to make cuts to this vital program," said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. "It will only make it more difficult for families to afford nutritious food and increase pressure on churches and charities that are already struggling to keep up with demand as the economy recovers."

Nutrition programs funded through the Farm Bill weave a vital safety net that protect children, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and low-income working families from hunger and poor nutrition. Bread for the World appreciates the committee's efforts to support investments in emergency food assistance, which will help food banks keep up with increased need, and to protect programs like the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which provides low-income students a fresh fruit or vegetable snack at school every day.

Bread for the World is pleased that the proposal includes common sense reforms to international food aid. For example, the Local and Regional Procurement Project, a pilot program in the 2008 farm bill, continues in this proposal as a full program. By purchasing from local farmers, the United States will help build up the agricultural capacity of developing countries.

Additionally, the bill would establish the Donald Payne Horn of Africa Resilience Program and incorporate provisions of the Donald Payne International Food Assistance Improvement Act of 2012.

"Moving forward in the Farm Bill process, we urge the Senate to create a circle of protection around programs like SNAP and international food aid that are vital to hungry and poor people in the United States and around the world," said Beckmann.

Bread for the World recently launched its 2012 Offering of Letters campaign, which urges members of Congress to create a circle of protection around programs for hungry and poor people in this country and abroad. Within this broader campaign are four mini-campaigns that address specific legislative topics: domestic nutrition, poverty-focused foreign assistance, tax policy, and international food aid.