Take Action: Stop the compromise Farm Bill!

There’s a Farm Bill in the works – and it looks terrible for the millions of Pennsylvanians who depend on food stamps.

When we last saw the Farm Bill, the Senate version had approved $4 billion in food stamp cuts over the next 10 years, and the House version had approved a whopping $40 billion in cuts.

A bipartisan “compromise” is now emerging out of a key committee that will send to the House and Senate floors a version of the Farm Bill that cuts $9 billion in food stamp funding.

How are these “savings” reached? By eliminating “heat-and-eat” – a program that allows states to equalize food stamp benefits between people who pay their own heating bills and those whose bills are included in the rent. These folks – typically the elderly and residents of public housing – have a harder time demonstrating their costs of living, which is a key measure for determining the benefit amount of eligible food stamp consumers.

But some legislators are instead calling heat-and-eat a “loophole.” They plan to impose a huge financial burden on already cash-strapped states that use heat-and-eat to ensure their most vulnerable citizens get the maximum amount of benefits they are eligible for. Thus, the $9 billion in “savings.”

It’s a cynical and heartless tactic and we must and can stop it. If the new Farm Bill isn’t approved by January 31, food stamp funding levels will be safe for another year.

These are difficult times. There are three applicants for every job, and a living wage and job security are hard to find. We can’t let Congress compromise away protections for the children, working families, disabled, and elderly who make up the overwhelming majority of food stamp recipients.

An attack on struggling people’s ability to put food on the table isn’t “savings.”

TAKE ACTION

What you can do:

Let Congress hear from you – it’s easy!

Spread the word by sharing with your networks and on social media.