U.S. Senate Moving Ahead this Week on Package that May Include SNAP Cuts - Dial up the Noise!
We are hearing that the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chair is planning to release his SNAP language this Wednesday - to advance the GOP mega bill. See today’s Politico update HERE. We appreciate how exhausting this is, but we need to keep up the drum roll, #NoSNAPCuts! In addition to continued phone banking to swing states (see below), below are action steps, two webinars and resources from our national partners, Brookings Institute and more.
Family and Friends Outreach NOW!
Here’s a link to the Senate Ag Committee Members. If you have family or friends who live in any of their states. Please reach out ASAP to your folks in these states asking them to urge their Senator to vote down any SNAP cuts in the Senate Ag Bill: no shifting costs to states, increasing punitive work rules, rolling back the Thrifty Food Plan increases, cutting SNAP to legally present humanitarian immigrants. Here’s a handing this FRAC link for folks to send an email to all Senators in opposition to the cuts.
FRAC Webinar on June 10th: What the Proposed Billion-Dollar SNAP Cuts Will Mean for Farm Communities
Join our colleagues at the Food Research & Action Center and the Center for Science in the Public Interest at 3 PM tomorrow Tuesday for a powerful discussion on what the proposed $300 billion in SNAP cuts—now advancing to the Senate—will mean for farm communities. These cuts don’t just threaten families facing hunger; they also put small farmers and local food economies at serious risk. Programs like Double Up Food Bucks and the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) help farmers earn income while providing families with low incomes access to fresh, healthy food.
A panel of experts will break down the real-world impacts of these proposed cuts—on small farms, rural economies, and community health—and highlight what’s at stake for the critical programs that connect farmers and families across the country. REGISTER HERE.
Sen Markey Teach-Ins on June 11th - Stop Cuts to Food Assistance, Health Care, Climate and Education Programs!
Senator Markey’s team is offering two “Teach Ins” at 5 PM and 8 PM EST to highlight the drastic cuts to health care, food security, education, and climate initiatives as part of their Big Billionaire Bill (also called
budget reconciliation). These cuts would mean people lose their jobs, their health care, their ability to feed their families, and puts the future of our at risk, and it is all to guarantee tax breaks for billionaires. Senator Markey’s office is hosting a Teach In to learn more about what’s in the Big Billionaire Bill, what comes next in the process, and how YOU can help fight these cuts.
- Health Care and Food Justice Cuts: Wed, June 11th at 5:00-6:00 PM EST on Webex
- Climate and Education Cuts, Wed, June 11th 8:00 - 9:00 PM EST on Webex
REGISTER HERE: https://www.markey.senate.gov/TeachIn
CBPP Blog: House Bill Takes Away Food and Health Benefits From People Granted Humanitarian Protections
From our friends at CBPP: “In a stark departure from our country’s long history of supporting people fleeing violence and persecution, the House Republican reconciliation bill would take away food assistance and health coverage from people, including children, living lawfully in the U.S. under humanitarian protections afforded by our immigration laws. Even in 1996, when our nation enacted a law that severely restricted access to benefits for many immigrants living lawfully in the U.S., Congress ensured continued access to federal benefits for immigrants who have proven that they are fleeing persecution and those who are survivors of domestic abuse or sex or labor trafficking. In retaining access to benefits for these groups, both Republicans and Democrats in Congress understood that without this help, our offer of protection would be hollow.” CBPP has published this powerful analysis of the House cuts for immigrants with humanitarian immigration statuses.
Brookings Institute Research: Work requirements penalize workers in volatile occupations
Check out research from the Brookings Institute released last week. Their findings include:
- Work requirements with a set monthly work-hour threshold, such as those Congress is currently considering adding or expanding in means-tested programs, are poorly matched to the nature of employment in the service sector.
- Volatility in employment and hours is endemic in the service sector and driven overwhelmingly by employer demands.
- The definition of acceptable work effort imposed by policymakers who do not acknowledge or understand this volatility penalizes working families from benefits for which they would otherwise be eligible.
More Phone Banking Session to Swing States - #HandsOffSNAP and Medicaid
With the help of SEIU’s Scale to Win phone banking hub, Health Care for All, MLRI and Project Bread are continuing phone banking to voters in Maine and other states for the next three weeks. We call voters, chat and “patch” them through to the Senate DC office to talk with staff or leave a message! It is easy and very productive. We have added a phone banking session on Wednesday, June 18th from 11 to 1 PM for those able to phone bank midday. Register HERE for June phone banking dates.