California Association of Food Banks Statement on House Consideration of 2018 Farm Bill

Contact: Daniela Ogden, (510) 350-9919

California Association of Food Banks is deeply concerned that the House Farm Bill (H.R. 2) being brought to the House floor tomorrow will increase hunger and poverty for the more than 4 million low-income Californians, including 2 million children, who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to meet basic needs.

SNAP is California’s first line of defense against hunger. H.R. 2 contains more than $17 billion over ten years in deep cuts to SNAP benefits and eligibility that will make it harder for more than 2 million people to put food on the table. These proposals take away or sharply reduce SNAP benefits for struggling Californians, including working families with children, people with disabilities, and older adults. 

SNAP, not private charity, is the front-line against hunger. Food banks are already struggling to meet the remaining need for food in California, and if enacted into law, the cuts contained in H.R. 2 would worsen hunger and poverty while overburdening the charitable food system. For these reasons, California Association of Food Banks urges lawmakers to vote no on H.R. 2 when it comes to the House floor and calls on our leaders in the Senate to work in a bipartisan fashion to craft a Farm Bill that lifts up our state’s nutrition and agricultural priorities.