House Passes Farm Bill, Fight to Protect SNAP/CalFresh Moves to Senate
Today, The House of Representatives voted 213 to 211 to pass
HR 2, the Republican farm bill proposal that would, if enacted, make draconian cuts to SNAP/CalFresh. CFPA and our anti-hunger allies are deeply disappointed that this mean-spirited and ill-conceived bill passed the House today.
The harsh and partisan bill that all but two California Republican Congressmembers voted for today would cut SNAP by nearly $19 billion and take away food assistance from 2 million struggling Americans, including children, seniors, and veterans in our state. The changes to SNAP in HR 2 would be particularly harmful for CalFresh recipients currently working in low-wage jobs, and also those struggling to find work after a period of unemployment.
This House farm bill betrays the country's longstanding bipartisan commitment to making sure people who are struggling have enough to eat.
We thank those in Congress that took a courageous stand against hunger and poverty and said no to the harmful SNAP provisions in the bill. Protecting and strengthening SNAP - not cutting it - is the right way forward. That's why Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have drafted a better approach: a bipartisan farm bill that does not take away food assistance from eligible households and makes smart investments to improve SNAP.
