Preserve SNAP and pass a fair farm bill!

Most Michiganders can agree that we all do better when we have the resources we need to thrive. Farmers, working families, and rural communities are no exception, yet MAGA Republicans in Washington are seeking to cut $230 billion from SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. With four out of every five dollars in the farm bill, a wide-ranging piece of legislation passed every half decade, going towards SNAP, a move to gut food assistance would send ripple effects throughout rural communities, making it harder for farmers to earn a living, local businesses to thrive, and families being able to put food on the table.

Send a message to your Members of Congress now to ensure that SNAP funding doesn’t get axed and that the farm bill makes a commitment to protecting SNAP and other critical programs for rural Americans.

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Tell your Members of Congress to preserve SNAP and pass a fair farm bill!

Michigan-based agriculture is integral to communities in both peninsulas, and farmers are at the frontlines in delivering us quality, fresh products. But right now, the threats from corporate greed, the climate crisis, and inequality are too difficult to ignore.

Whether you live in Sault Ste. Marie or Saginaw, Michiganders deserve a farm bill that benefits everyone, not just a few wealthy corporations. I urge you to pass a farm bill that seeks to eliminate the rampant inequality we’re seeing in our food system.

Independent farmers and ranchers are in a vulnerable position today, and as someone who eats their products, I feel strongly that they should have the proper tools and resources to thrive. First and foremost, in order to have a strong and healthy population, folks need access to food. That’s why in the upcoming farm bill, food and farming advocates like myself are calling on Congress to stop defunding SNAP and work towards delivering actual solutions, including:

- The Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act to amend the current checkoff program to which all farmers and ranchers are required to contribute, but are often used to promote industry consolidation by the largest corporations. 
- The Farm System Reform Act to strengthen the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, mandate country of origin labeling for beef, pork, and dairy products, and place a moratorium on factory farms by the year 2040.  
- The Protecting America's Meatpacking Workers Act to address workplace conditions and safety in meat and poultry facilities, including prohibiting waivers for line speeds and inspections, further require country of origin labeling for beef, pork, dairy, and increase funding for programs which benefit local and regional food systems. 
- More funding for the USDA Local Agriculture Market Program that helps local agricultural producers sell more effectively to their community, creating local jobs in the process.  
- The Justice for Black Farmers Act, which creates an independent civil rights appeal process for USDA complaints, ensures new and current Black farmers have access to farmland ownership, allows funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities for agricultural training and research, and ensures proper access to USDA technical assistance programs and agricultural markets. 
- More funding for the conservation and energy programs included in the Inflation Reduction Act and better align risk management and commodity programs funding to the adoption of conservation practices. This includes the EQIP Improvement Act of 2023 to direct conservation funding towards small farmers and ranchers who are working to mitigate their environmental impact.  
- Increased baseline funding for the ReConnect Loan and Grant Program broadband program and provide more opportunities for grant funding in underserved areas.
- The passage of the Rebuilt Rural America Act to focus on rural economic development. The bill includes $50 billion in block grant funding for rural communities and Tribal nations for economic, educational, healthcare, and infrastructure investments while establishing a Rural Innovation and Partnership Administration to better serve rural communities when they access federal funding programs.
- Greater funding to produce prescription programs in the farm bill like the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) in order to help solve hunger in rural and urban communities alike.  
- The ability for nutrition assistance users a wider variety of nutritious foods, including the ability to purchase hot and prepared foods at grocery stores. 
- Simplifying the application and reporting requirements for SNAP. 
- Increased support for programs that help expand access to nutritious, local foods, including the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA),  Local Foods for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS), and Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program, in addition to increased funding for Local Agricultural Marketing Program (LAMP).

Thank you for your years of leadership on this issue, and I look forward to observing Congress engage with these important reforms in the coming months.

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