Today, after two years of heated debate, Congress has passed
a Farm Bill costing Americans roughly $950 billion over the next 10 years. The bill made some small but welcome gains,
including support for our small dairy farmers and increased funding for food
distributed at food pantries. Unfortunately, these gains are minor when
compared to the $8.6 billion cut to SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program known as 3SquaresVT in our state, over 10 years. Only 17 states will have
to bear the burden of this cut, including Vermont, where over 20,000 households
may be impacted. Just three months after slashing food benefits by $5 billion,
we are disappointed that, year after year, Congress continues to cut the
nutrition program that is a lifeline for millions of Americans who are
struggling just to get by.
Every single day for the past three years, Hunger Free
Vermont has worked diligently to protect SNAP funding in the Farm Bill for
the nearly 100,000 Vermonters who rely on these benefits to feed their
families. After forming the Vermont
Farm Bill Nutrition Coalition, which included partners from state agencies,
community organizations, and the business community, we developed a set of
common recommendations for the Nutrition Programs funded through the Farm Bill.
With over 1,000
signatures from Vermonters, our Congressional Delegation took these
recommendations with them to D.C., fighting to protect funding for SNAP, food
shelves, and nutrition programs that feed children and the elderly. Since 2012,
the Senate and House have proposed multiple versions of the bill, all including
cuts to SNAP. Each time a different cut was proposed, we worked with our
partners at the Department for Children and Families and service providers
around the state to determine what the impact would be locally and shared the
information and voices of struggling Vermonters with our delegation.
Unfortunately, the conversation in Congress has not been
about how best to support the millions of hard working Americans struggling to
put food on the table, nor has it been about how to grow the economy in the
long-term by helping people get back on their feet. Instead, many politicians
have focused on false claims of high fraud within the SNAP program and have
argued that it is a drag on our economic recovery. In fact, SNAP has one of the
lowest fraud rates among federal programs and it is one of the most effective
economic stimulus programs out there. The program brings nearly $150 million
into Vermont’s economy each year, helping families afford food and supporting
our local businesses and farmers.
The cuts to SNAP in the Farm Bill may mean that Vermont will
lose $6.3 million a year in benefits, increasing hunger in Vermont and slowing
our economy. The cut comes from making
it more expensive for states to participate in the “Heat and Eat” program; a
measure which helps families who receive food and heating assistance receive
the maximum food benefit for which they are eligible by receiving a small heating
benefit. Too many times we’ve heard this program be called a “loophole”, which
it’s not. This program helps low-income
families, most of whom are elderly or disabled afford both food and heat in the
winter. The Heat and Eat program costs the state less than $75,000 annually but
leverages $6.3 million federal dollars in the form of SNAP benefits. Vermont is
an incredible place to live, but the cold winters increase heating costs and make
it hard for low-income families to put food on the table. With this Farm Bill,
Congress is forcing over 20,000 Vermonters, and 850,000 Americans, to face an
impossible decision: to keep their heat on this winter or put food on the table
for their family. We are deeply worried
this bill means more hunger and struggle for the people of our state.
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