New farm bill could cut $30 billion to CalFresh program
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A new farm bill has reached crucial steps of reaching an agreement in Congress, but the bill could be making cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or CalFresh.
According to Natalie Caples, the Co-CEO of the California Central Food Bank, the bill is a crucial piece of legislation that supports neighbors facing food insecurity and as well as food banks providing food to those neighbors.
Caples says there is a specific title in the bill that has two programs for food banks and neighbors experiencing food insecurity. She says the bill that was passed out at the committee in Congress Thursday contained troubling information about those two programs.
She says the language that was used at the committee puts significant restrictions on the federal government’s ability to be able to address the rising costs of food and other challenges as it deals with SNAP.
“Essentially amounts to a $30 billion cut in the program in over 10 years. For a food bank like Central California Food Bank, there is absolutely no way that our organization can make up the difference in the amount of meals that we provide,” Caples said.
Caples says if the SNAP program is not allowed to grow with inflation, along with the rising cost of food, households that are experiencing food insecurity will feel that pinch.
She says the economy will be stunned when SNAP benefits are limited, and it is a trickle-down effect.
The programs that exist in the farm bill will have an impact on households who are experiencing food insecurity. Caples says fewer individuals will have access to Central California Food Bank programs and services.
The farm bill was supposed to be authorized last September so they kept the existing program in place and Congress operated under a continuing resolution.
Caples says that not passing the farm bill, and the current legislation that the food bank is operating under does not give them the flexibility to respond to current market conditions.
Fresno-area Congressman Jim Costa says that the farm bill takes large steps backward by making cuts to SNAP benefits and other programs that benefit families and farmers across the San Joaquin Valley.
He states that over 25.8% of households in his district, California’s 21st Congressional District, depend on SNAP, which ranks sixth overall in the nation.
“As a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee, I remain committed to passing a
robust Farm Bill that will elevate rural, underserved communities and ensure no American goes hungry,” Costa said.
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