Congress must reject any and all funding cuts to essential nutrition programs
If the Farm Bill to be considered in the House Committee on Agriculture on May 23 becomes law, it will mean a cut of nearly $30 billion in future SNAP benefits over a decade.
Such cuts are unconscionable. For many children, they will make learning more difficult and lead to negative health outcomes. They will force families and older adults to choose between putting food on the table and paying for other expenses such as rent, utility bills, or prescription drugs. They will also harm our economy, removing the stimulative benefits of SNAP and even hurting farmers and ranchers along the way.
SNAP is the most effective anti-hunger program in the U.S. It reduces hunger by 30% and provides nutritious meals to one-quarter of America’s children.
The House bill makes these cuts by limiting the USDA’s ability to update the Thrifty Food Plan, which determines SNAP benefit levels, to reflect the real costs of a nutritious diet, based on science, along with reflecting food prices that remain stubbornly high. This will make it tougher for families experiencing food insecurity as well as the food banks that aid them. These would be the largest cuts to SNAP benefits in almost 30 years if enacted. In addition, these changes will trigger more than $500 million in cuts to Summer EBT, which provides grocery benefits to children in low-income families during the summer when schools are closed, along with $100 million in cuts to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which provides food for food banks and food pantries to distribute to individuals and families.
The House bill also would allow states to let private corporations take over determining eligibility for SNAP. Where this has been tried, replacing merit-based staff resulted in corporate skimping on careful help to people applying for or renewing benefits in order to maximize profits. It would also reverse previously enacted steps to reduce agriculture-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
During this time when many families grapple with the cost of housing and food, Congress must do everything in its power to provide relief to those who need it most.
Click “Start Writing” to send a message to Congress urging them to reject any and all cuts to nutrition programs in the FY2025 Farm Bill.
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CHN’s COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship May 28, 2021
They Don’t Care Why You’re Out of Work edition. So far, 24 states have announced they will terminate federal pandemic unemployment benefits sometime in June, months before they will expire. They don’t seem to have tighter labor markets than the other states; J.P. Morgan analysts opine that “early ends to UI look tied to politics, not economics;” it turns out all of these states are headed by Republicans. The numbers below make these points: (1) there’s still a lot of joblessness: fewer jobs than people seeking them; (2) people have reasons for not working, even when there are open jobs: COVID is still taking a toll, disproportionately among Black, Latino and Indigenous people, and there are roadblocks to getting vaccinated; they don’t have child care (especially tough on women); and (3) people are still hurting: more than one-quarter (nearly 62 million) are in households having serious trouble paying their regular bills, and it’s a lot worse for Black and Latino households. Nevertheless, these governors will stop at least 3.6 million of their residents from receiving $300/week in federal benefits (and end all assistance if they’re gig or self-employed workers, since state benefits do not cover them). According to data from the Century Foundation, their actions will cost their states nearly $22 billion. That wouldn’t seem like good politics, but it sure may force some people back to work in low-paying and even unsafe jobs.
The nation needs more federal protections and investments, to create good jobs, provide child care, lift children and families out of poverty – you know, Build Back Better. Please tell your Senators and Representative to hurry up and vote for these investments in our future: click here.
15.8 million
That’s how many people were receiving unemployment benefits as of May 8, of whom 6.5 million were receiving federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), the only help for jobless gig or self-employed workers. Tweet this.
-3.6 million /24
As of May 27, 24 states have plans to end federal unemployment benefits starting in June, cutting $300/week in benefits for more than 3.6m workers; most of these states will end PUA (see above) and leave those jobless with no aid at all. Tweet this.
-8.2 million
The U.S. still has 8.2 million fewer jobs than it had before the pandemic. That means workers cut off in the 24 states may not find work very easily. Tweet this.
Women’s unemployment rate, in April 2021, if you add to the official rate the 2 million women who’ve left the labor force since February 2020. Tweet this.
People in the U.S., who want to get vaccinated but are unable – often because they can’t take time off work or get to vaccination sites. Nearly half (48%) of those who haven’t gotten the COVID vaccine are concerned they’ll miss work because of side effects.
55%/41%/32% /31%/27%
Percentage of U.S. residents with at least one vaccine dose, by race/ethnicity: Asian (55%); White (41%); Indigenous (32%); Latino (31%); Black (27%). Latinx and Black workers are more likely to be in front-line jobs; less likely to have vaccine protection.
3.5x; 2.5x /
3x; 2x
Indigenous Americans are 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalized and 2.5 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than White Americans. Black and Latino/Hispanic Americans are 3 times more likely to be hospitalized and 2 times more likely to die.