Washington – Last night the House Agriculture Committee released its portion of the Republicans’ massive budget reconciliation bill. Among its provisions, the proposal would:

• Shift tens of billions in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance costs to states, threatening benefits and eligibility.
• Restrict SNAP eligibility and flexibility with new work requirements for families.
• Limit future updates to SNAP benefits by decoupling with rising food prices.
• Raise subsidies for commodity production at the expense of hungry families and small-medium sized farmers. 

Meanwhile, more than 500 health professionals from across the country delivered a letter to Congress today demanding that no budget cuts be made to USDA food safety and food security programs, including SNAP. More than 15,000 USDA staff are set to depart in response to DOGE cuts, including more than 20 percent of staff charged with testing and controlling spread of animal diseases like bird flu. The letter was facilitated by the national advocacy group Food & Water Watch.

The letter states, in part: “We write to express our alarm at proposed budget and spending cuts to essential food, water and healthcare programs, which we know will contribute to the burden of disease among the American people… The budget resolution directs cuts that jeopardize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food assistance to more than 40 million low-income people annually.”

In response, Rebecca Wolf, food policy lead at Food & Water Watch issued the following statement: 

“This proposal is nothing more than a shameful attempt to please Big Ag at the expense of everyday families. Major cuts to SNAP would threaten basic food assistance for millions of people across the country. A full, robust Farm Bill that invests in regional, sustainable and fair food production for U.S. farmers and consumers is long overdue. But this budget reconciliation proposal is not that at all. It is a slap in the face to farmers and consumers who have weathered rampant corporate consolidation and unfair market pressures in recent years. It needs to be stopped.”

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