Joint Statement: California SNAP Stakeholders Urge Rejection of Chairman’s Farm Bill Proposal; Bill Would Further Erode Nutrition Supports and Increase Hunger

Sacramento, CA – California’s SNAP stakeholders – representing grocers, county administrators, labor unions, legal aid leaders, and other anti-hunger advocates – urge the California Congressional Delegation and House Agriculture Committee Members to reject the proposed Farm Bill put forth by Committee Chairman Thompson (R-PA). 

The draft Farm Bill does nothing to mitigate the extreme harm that H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation bill, will cause to recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits nationwide. In our state alone, the H.R. 1 provisions put more than half a million Californians at risk of losing the critical food assistance they receive through SNAP, known as CalFresh in California. Specifically:

• An estimated 954,800 CalFresh recipients will be subject to time limits as a result of H.R. 1.
• Acerca de 660,000 of these recipients will be at significant risk of losing eligibility.

These cuts will disproportionately harm Californians facing the greatest barriers to stable employment, including people experiencing homelessness, veterans, foster youth, survivors of domestic violence, and others navigating unstable work or health challenges, including parents and caregivers whose dependent children are aged 14-18. These cuts will also damage local businesses due to the substantial loss of economic activity associated with these lost benefits.

Another 72,000 humanitarian immigrants are set to lose access to CalFresh starting in April 2026 due to the harmful federal policies enacted in H.R. 1. This group includes survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence as well as refugees who were admitted legally to the United States, individuals and families who helped U.S. troops or are escaping war-torn countries.

Congress still has time to act. Upcoming Farm Bill discussions present a critical opportunity to reverse the harmful SNAP provisions included in H.R. 1. Unfortunately, the Chairman’s mark released last week does nothing to reverse the damage H.R. 1 will do to this vital program. In addition to the time limits and elimination of eligibility for humanitarian immigrants, the bill also contains enormous cost shifts that will jeopardize states’ ability to maintain their current programs.

The Chairman’s Mark is set to be considered by the Committee on February 23. We urge a “No” vote on this bill. No Farm Bill, farm relief package, or other related legislation should move forward unless it reverses H.R. 1’s SNAP cuts and cost shifts.

Signed by/quotes from partners:

“California food banks are already stretched thin, serving more than 6 million people each month. For every meal a food bank provides, SNAP delivers nine. Food banks cannot make up for the amount of food households are losing as a result of H.R. 1,” said Stacia Levenfeld, CEO at California Association of Food Banks. “Last fall we saw firsthand the impact of withholding SNAP benefits. By not alleviating the harm done by HR 1, Congress has missed a huge opportunity to support our country’s most vulnerable communities. For that reason, we urge Congress to ensure that any farm bill reverses SNAP cuts and cost shifts.”

“H.R. 1 puts more than half a million Californians at risk of losing food assistance, and this draft Farm Bill does nothing to stop it. Because of ableist time limits and racist, exclusionary policies, hundreds of thousands of households could lose benefits, including parents with children, refugees, trafficking survivors, and survivors of domestic violence,” said Yesenia Robancho, Associate Director of Policy and Strategy at End Child Poverty California. “These cuts will force families to choose between groceries and rent. No one should have to make that choice. Congress should be protecting children and families from hunger and strengthening SNAP, not making hunger worse.”

“H.R. 1 doubles down on failed “proof of work” rules proven by decades of research to block eligible people from the lifesaving food assistance to which they are entitled, and pushes people further into poverty-related hunger. H.R. 1 vastly expands the 3-month period before documenting work hours is required to many more, extremely vulnerable individuals. This increase of people subject to the time limit imposes an unsustainable workload onto counties who are on the front lines implementing these changes, and shifts unprecedented costs onto local governments by halving the federal share of program funding. We ask every California Member of Congress to insist that any Farm Bill reverse these changes and strengthen CalFresh as our nation’s premier program to improve food access and affordability.” Carlos Marquez III, Executive Director, County Welfare Director’s Association of California

The Coalition of CA Welfare Rights Organizations [CCWRO] urges the California Congressional delegation and House Agricultural Committee members to reject the proposed Farm Bill proposed by Committee Chairman Thompson [R-PA]. Overall this proposal does absolutely nothing to mitigate the harm that HR1, “the big ugly betrayal,” is causing to SNAP recipients.  More specifically, these brutal cuts to SNAP disproportionately harm children and families, people experiencing homelessness, veterans, foster youth, and survivors of domestic violence.  It is time for Congress to act to protect these vulnerable populations and reject Trump’s racist policies.  We urge a “NO” vote to the proposed Farm Bill.”

Elected officials often ask how they can add grocery stores to their community. Voting to pass a Farm Bill that does not reverse cuts to SNAP will have the opposite effect. Cuts to SNAP have a chilling effect on the wellbeing of low-income families who currently have regular access to stores where they can redeem their SNAP dollars for fresh and nutritious food. In many underserved neighborhoods, SNAP recipients make up the majority of a store’s customer base. Without that support, many of these stores will be forced to close their doors. Grocery stores are economic anchors and essential sources of health and well-being. California Grocers Association urges Congress to vote no on the proposed Farm Bill.”

“H.R. 1 cuts to SNAP represent a direct threat to the health and stability of our communities. We call on Congress to immediately reverse these cruel cuts and cost shifts, and to reject any legislation that asks hundreds of thousands of California households to sacrifice their food security to subsidize corporate tax breaks. Families cannot absorb these losses; instead, they will be forced to make impossible choices to afford food as their budgets continue to shrink. Without immediate intervention, California faces a preventable cycle of poverty, hunger, chronic health crises, educational deficits, homelessness, and systemic economic decline. Congress must act now to avert a widespread hunger crisis and protect our state’s future.” Keely O’Brien, Policy Advocate, Western Center on Law & Poverty

Nutre California stands with communities and advocates across our state in urging Congress to reject the Chairman’s Farm Bill proposal. This bill fails to undo the harm of H.R. 1, which puts hundreds of thousands of Californians at risk of losing CalFresh and strips access from humanitarian immigrants, including refugees and survivors of violence. At a time when families are struggling with rising food costs and economic uncertainty, Congress should be protecting access to food and strengthening nutrition programs, not making it harder to put groceries on the table. Any Farm Bill must reverse harmful SNAP cuts and ensure our communities have the support they need to thrive.

“Rather than making rent, transportation, child care, and health care more affordable, the GOP chose to pass HR 1, enacting devastating cuts to food assistance that families struggling to feed their children need, all to justify tax cuts for wealthy corporations,” said Jessica Bartholow, Government Relations Director of SEIU California. “It is disgraceful and we adamantly oppose any Farm Bill which fails to reverse these cuts.”