Update: Farm Bill Passes with No Cuts to SNAP

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The Farm Bill cleared the U.S. House on a 369–47 vote after passing the Senate with a vote of 87–13, and cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are not included, according to the Food Research & Action Center.

Past versions of the bill had contained a $20 billion cut of SNAP over 10 years.

“The negotiators appear to have achieved a bipartisan compromise that maintains and modestly strengthens SNAP, ensuring that millions of struggling Americans will continue to be able to count on SNAP to help them put food on the table,” Robert Greenstein, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, told the Washington Post.

This is great news for Latinos and all.

SNAP is proven to:

• Lifts millions of people out of poverty and helps them stay out. SNAP helps recipients avoid poverty and hunger. The program lifted 3.4 million people out of poverty in 2017.
• Boosts children’s health. When children have access to SNAP, from birth through early childhood, their risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and other poor health outcomes later in life greatly decreases. Children on SNAP can immediately experience a reduction in food insecurity.
• Helps children perform better in school. Studies have found improved reading and math skills, and an increased chance of graduating from high school.
• Improves the economy. Every $5 in new SNAP benefits generates as much as $9 in economic activity, helping farmers, grocers, truckers, and other members of local and regional workforces

Check out these SNAP stories of how the program has benefited families.

A big THANK YOU to our Salud America! network and all others who met with policymakers, shared the benefits of SNAP with the media, and were civically engaged.