The Farm Bill released last month by the House Agriculture Committee represents a missed opportunity and a broken promise to the millions of Americans struggling to afford food.
Every five years, Congress reauthorizes the Farm Bill, an expansive legislative package that governs the nation’s food and agricultural systems, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). At a time when hunger is rising across the country, the latest Farm Bill proposal does nothing to reverse the historic, devastating $187 billion SNAP cuts enacted through H.R. 1 (commonly known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill”)—cuts that have already begun destabilizing families and threatening the economic health of communities nationwide.
Instead of restoring the nation’s most effective policy tool for combating hunger, this Farm Bill doubles down on harm. It fails to protect working families, veterans, older adults, students, and caregivers who depend on SNAP to meet their basic needs.
SNAP is a lifeline for more than 42 million Americans, including millions of children. It strengthens local economies, supports farmers and food retailers, and generates up to $1.80 in economic activity for every dollar spent. Weakening SNAP doesn’t just hurt people facing hunger—it harms the entire food system, from rural communities to urban neighborhoods.
H.R. 1 has already shifted unprecedented costs to states, expanded punitive time limits, and stripped recipients of benefits. This Farm Bill had the chance to correct that injustice. Instead, it locks in those cuts while directing substantial resources toward large agribusiness interests and corporate consolidation.
The bill also features other harmful components. It limits states’ ability to advance protections for local food systems or regulate pesticides, putting communities, the environment and farmworkers already facing dangerous conditions further at risk. It lacks robust investment in sustainable and small-scale agriculture, prioritizing further corporate consolidation.
“When Congress weakens effective anti-hunger programs, like SNAP, and worker protections, it is not trimming a line item — it is undermining the dignity and stability of families, farm workers, communities, and our planet. Hunger does not exist because we lack food; it exists because of policy choices that prioritize corporate consolidation over community well-being. We need a Farm Bill that reflects our values, protects local economies and environments, and affirms that access to nutritious food is a human right,” said Jenique Jones, WhyHunger’s Executive Director.
WhyHunger stands with anti-hunger advocates nationwide in rejecting any Farm Bill that fails to, at minimum, restore SNAP to its pre-H.R. 1 structure and funding. We do not need legislation that deepens hunger and prioritizes corporate interests over people and the planet. We demand a robust Farm Bill that:
- Reverses the SNAP cuts in H.R. 1 and strengthens our nutrition safety net
- Prioritizes the safety, rights, and dignity of farm workers and workers across the food chain
- Supports real climate resilience initiatives and invests in sustainable, local and regional food and farm systems
- Reinstates the USDA’s Household Food Security report to ensure that we can track and understand data on hunger and the impact of these vital programs
Hunger is a policy choice, not an inevitability. Congress can choose a different path—one that supports farmers and builds a food system that works for everyone – and the planet. One that recognizes food as a basic human right.
Take Action:
This is likely to be a drawn-out process of negotiations and politics that will help shape our food and agriculture future. Staying informed and engaged matters now more than ever.
Contact your representatives and the House Agriculture Committee members and demand a Farm Bill that restores SNAP funding, supports farmworkers and food chain workers, and protects communities and our planet. Use the FRAC Action Network to send an email directly to your members of Congress.
To learn about what a more just Farm Bill would look like, read HEAL Food Alliance’s policy recommendations, endorsed by over 150 organizations.
