Organizational SIGN ON LETTER to MA Congressional Delegation - NO CUTS to SNAP!

Please add your organization to a sign on letter to the Massachusetts Delegation OPPOSING cuts to the SNAP program!  Deadline: Monday, May 13th. 

What’s on the table? 

Last week, members of Congress released very different frameworks for their vision of the next Farm Bill. The “Farm Bill” is the federal vehicle that authorizes spending for SNAP, Summer EBT, TEFAP, Senior Farmers Markets and other nutrition programs as well as farm subsidies and conservation)  

• Senate Chair Debbie Stabenow’s proposal lays out a promising plan to protect and strengthen SNAP - the country’s most important anti-hunger program.

• House Chair Glen Thompson’s proposal includes deep, shortsighted, and harmful cuts to SNAP that will worsen hunger for the nearly 1 million MA SNAP recipients.

Specifically, House Chair Thompson’s proposal would prevent the USDA from being able to make much needed periodic updates to the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) - which is the basis for the value of food benefits provided by SNAP and other nutrition programs like the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Summer EBT.  According to our colleagues at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, this would cut roughly $30 Billion over the next decade by restricting future updates to only count for inflation, ignoring science-based changes to dietary guidelines. Even after the recent USDA “Thrifty Food Plan” (TFP) reevaluation, SNAP benefits still only average $6 per person per day – barely more than a cup of coffee.  For an excellent one-pager, see FRAC Fact Sheet on the Continuing the TFP!

How will this SNAP cut affect households in Massachusetts?

• Approximately $750 million in SNAP benefits would be taken from the Mass residents over a 10 year period, recipients who spend SNAP benefits at the 5,500+ authorized EBT retailers across the Commonwealth. 

• This represents a loss of as much as $1.2 billion in total economic activity, hurting Massachusetts farmers, farmworkers, truckers, grocers, and others across our critical food sector.

• The recent April 30th Boston Globe news story highlighted that grocery costs are now “higher than ever” straining the resources of emergency food programs. And Consumer Affairs noted that grocery prices in MA increased by 6.6% from November of 2022 to November of 2023 - the second highest increase in prices in New England.

• Preventing USDA from doing Thrifty Food Plan reevaluations is not only a SNAP cut. It will also impact other critical nutrition programs like the TEFAP and Summer EBT - undermining the ability of food banks to provide food to local food pantries and will increase hunger for children during summer months when school is out. 

To view the sign on letter and add your organization, click HERE  Deadline, May 13th 5 PM.