Farm Bill Fly In Recap

You’re the Cure advocates from across the country traveled to Washington, D.C. last week to ask their Members of Congress to support nutrition and food security programs in the 2023 Farm Bill.

The Farm Bill is a comprehensive multi-year federal bill that addresses nutrition and agricultural policy issues in our country. It is typically renewed every five years; the current authorization expires September 30, 2023. The nutrition title within the bill includes essential anti-hunger and nutrition programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentives Program (GusNIP, or incentives), and other vital programs. These programs are especially important now that the SNAP public health emergency allotments have ended, tightening the food budget of more than 40 million SNAP participants, many of whom are children, elderly or those with disabilities.

Grassroots advocates met with more than 100 elected officials last week and shared their personal experiences.

During their meetings on Capitol Hill, You’re the Cure advocates emphasized the need to:

• Keep SNAP benefits strong;
• Fully leverage opportunities for SNAP to also improve nutrition quality through pilot programs;
• Lower the GusNIP match requirement to 10 percent to make the program more equitable and reach more communities; and
• Expand participants’ ability to use SNAP benefits and increase the number of retailers that participate in SNAP online, as well as modernize the Electronic Benefits Transfer system to make it more efficient and secure.

Most importantly, advocates talked about the ways SNAP has helped their families, how critical these programs are and why strong, adequate benefits in the Farm Bill are so important to them. We know that those stories will change the hearts and minds of lawmakers. The personal connection will stay with those lawmakers and their staff long after the advocates have left their office and traveled back to their home states.

Do you have a story to share about SNAP and the ways it has helped your family? We want to hear it, and we want to make sure lawmakers do too! Fill out this short form to let us know you have a story to share. Your voice can help amplify the message delivered by advocates in Washington, D.C. last week!