| As you may have heard, Congress passed the Farm Bill with $8.6 billion in SNAP cuts. We are not happy with this outcome, but the Food Bank is proud to have been part of a national movement to preserve and protect SNAP in an incredibly divided Congress. Six months ago, we were looking at $40 billion in cuts to SNAP. The $8.6 billion in cuts to SNAP means families will have less money to buy the food they need, but we stopped many horrendous amendments that attempted to kick whole groups of individuals off the program entirely. What you can be proud of is that Alameda County's Representatives voted against the Farm Bill. Representatives Barbara Lee, Eric Swalwell and Mike Honda all voted "no." They stood up for our community and the 850,000 households who will have less food on their table due to this Farm Bill. We want to let you know that this Farm Bill won't stop us from continuing to advocate for a future where poverty and hunger don't exist in our country. Over the next few months, we will focus our attention on policy changes specifically within California. From our state budget to various laws, there's much we can still change to bring California's own poverty rate down, which is the highest in the nation. While we may not be able to move national policy forward on poverty due to federal gridlock, we know we can change California's direction. It's what we've been doing for the past 15 years and with your support, we don't plan on stopping. We will let you know when you can take action to shift state policies. In solidarity, Cat Burton Ecaterina Burton | Advocacy and Education Coordinator |
Alameda County Community Food Bank |
