We are writing to you today to update you on the latest threats to federal anti-hunger programs emerging in Washington, DC, to thank you for your tremendous advocacy efforts to date and to ask you to continue to keep up the pressure.
As you may know, while negotiations are ongoing, it appears that the House and Senate Agriculture Committees have reached an agreement to cut $23 billion from agriculture programs to present to the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction. We are hearing that cuts to nutrition assistance programs like SNAP are likely be in the range of $4-$5 billion. While we do not yet know the details of these cuts (they are still being developed), we believe the Agriculture Committee leadership recommendations will protect benefit levels but may restrict eligibility and cut back essential services like SNAP Nutrition-Ed.
At the same time, we are seeing new threats emerge through the Appropriations process. Late last Thursday, an amendment was brought to the Senate floor that would have restricted categorical eligibility in SNAP. We alerted the network and you responded. Thanks to your calls and emails, the amendment was defeated by a bipartisan vote of 41 to 58. While the political situation remains fluid and unpredictable, one thing is clear—the threats are ongoing and the federal safety-net is at risk.
Our ability to serve the clients who depend on us could be hampered significantly. Rising need, declining food streams, and a weakened federal safety net means food banks already stretched to capacity will have to do more with less. As Congress considers cutting anti-hunger programs to reduce the budget, we have to be a voice for hungry Americans whose wellbeing depends on these programs. Quite simply, it is inconceivable to us that at a time of record need, with one in six Americans struggling with hunger, Congress would consider cutting these critical programs.
We must urge Congress to balance the budget the right way. Our advocacy strategy to defend against cuts to anti-hunger programs is laid out below. It is based on three core components:
1) Engage Congress directly, both inside and outside the beltway, with a message of protecting anti-hunger programs from cuts.
2) Leverage local media to localize and personalize anti-hunger programs, clear up myths and get out the facts, and get our message to new audiences.
3) Mobilize partners to demonstrate broad national and local support for protecting anti-hunger programs.
The stakes are incredibly high, so we are calling on each and every one of you to join us in a coordinated advocacy campaign over the next several months. Our team has laid out specific advocacy actions to coincide with important votes or deadlines in Congress, which we will continue to update as the situation unfolds. Every Monday, we will issue a new way to tell our side of the story both locally and nationally. This week, our focus is on responding to the myths being propagated about SNAP and leveraging the upcoming Congressional recesses to engage your Members of Congress directly. While our team meets with Members of Congress in Washington, DC, it is critically important that they continue to hear from their constituents back home. Here’s how:
1) National letter writing campaign. We just completed a paper plate campaign for Hunger Action Month, but we must keep up the pressure. Organize your staff, agencies, volunteers, clients, board members, and donors to write a personal letter to your Members of Congress about the importance of protecting anti-hunger programs in the budget negotiations and the impact those programs have in your state or district.
2) Get in front of your Member of Congress. As you can see from the advocacy calendar, both the House and Senate have upcoming recesses. Use this as an opportunity to drop by their district office, attend a town hall meeting, or invite them to a site visit.
3) Keep the calls coming. We will alert the network when we have an opportunity to influence the legislative process. Be on the lookout for action alerts on both Appropriations and the Super Committee in the coming weeks to help us show strong constituent support for protecting the programs.
Your voice carries incredible weight within your community, and a coordinated Washington, DC and network response is necessary if we hope to defend the programs that are important to us. We so appreciate the incredible work you have done so far and have heard from several Members of Congress that they are hearing from us in Washington and in their districts, and that it is having an impact. We hope you will continue to keep up your tremendous efforts. Together we can make a difference.If you have any questions about how you can get involved, please contact Brett Weisel at bweisel@feedingamerica.org.
Vicki Escarra
John Sayles, Chairman of the Network Policy Engagement and Advocacy Committee (PEAC)
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