Current Advocacy Efforts
Coalition Against Hunger
2901 W. Hunting Park Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19129
Phone: 215-430-0555
Fax: 215-223-3073
E-mail: info@hungercoalition.org
Food Stamp Hotline: 215-430-0556
The Farm Bill: Food Stamps, Emergency Food, and Crop Subsidies
Have you ever wondered how food banks receive bulk food donations? Ever stopped to think about how many lower-income families receive Food Stamps? Ever considered that federal nutrition programs are authorized and funded by the same legislation that pays for crop subsidies to industrial-size farms? These programs and dozens more are included in what is commonly called the Farm Bill, and Congress has just reached agreement on a new, five-year bill.
Last July, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of a Farm Bill by a vote of 231 to 191. In December, the Senate, by a significant margin – 79 to 14, approved a somewhat different bill. Earlier this year, the two chambers (House and Senate) formed a Conference Committee to reach a compromise and bring forth a uniform piece of legislation. On May 8, Senator Tom Harkin announced a final Farm Bill agreement. This bill now awaits approval by both the House and Senate, and from there moves to the President’s desk for his signature. President Bush is threatening to veto the bill, which would prevent it from becoming law unless two-thirds of Senate and House members agree to override that veto.
While not perfect, the Farm Bill announced by the Conference Committee secures substantial improvements in the food and nutrition programs. In fact, Committee members, in announcing the compromise at a recent press conference, suggested that the bill be called the Food Bill. Of the total funds allocated for Farm Bill programs, 73.5 percent support food assistance, including the Food Stamp Program and commodities distribution.
The new Farm Bill provides a more generous minimum food stamp benefit, allows for more deductions from gross income, and enables applicants to keep a bit more in their bank accounts. The bill also will increase funding for TEFAP, the federal program that distributes bulk foods to large food banks, which desperately need to restock their shelves now; the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program; and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which provides grants to schools to improve the diets of students.
With the threat of a Presidential veto looming, Congress and the Senate need to remain steadfast in their commitment to bill enactment. Call your elected officials today, and let them know that they cannot sit back and watch the Farm Bill succumb to a veto. Urge them to push for a veto override so that the voice of the people prevails.
Make your voice heard. Deliver this message to your Congressman and Senators:
Pass the Farm Bill and don’t let a Presidential veto stand in the way of making it law.
Click here to find out who represents you in Washington. Find my legislators
State Food Purchase Program: Harrisburg’s Funding Cut Hurts Low-Income Households
Last summer, when the Pennsylvania State House and Senate approved the Commonwealth’s budget, the State Food Purchase Program suffered a cut in funding. Advocates had hoped for an increase over the past year’s allocation. Instead, the line item dropped by $750,000, or 4 percent. Now, just as economic hardship and rising food prices are sending more families through their doors, food banks across the state have 2.4 million fewer pounds of food to distribute.
As the impact of this cut ripples through the food distribution networks, soup kitchen and pantry volunteers are asking how the legislature could have let this happen and what can be done to restore funding before the shelves are bare. One option is a supplemental funding bill, and advocates are assessing this possibility.
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