***For Immediate Release***
June 13, 2018
Contact, Jeff Sheldon
Communications Director, Nebraska Appleseed\
Office: (402) 438-8853
Mobile: (402) 840-7289
jsheldon@neappleseed.org
Senate Farm Bill reaffirms important, bipartisan commitment to food assistance
Bill protects SNAP, Nebraska Senators urged to oppose harmful amendments that would increase hunger
LINCOLN — Wednesday, the Senate Agriculture Committee voted 20-1 to advance the Senate’s version of the Farm Bill, which among other food-related components, also controls investment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), our country’s most-effective anti-hunger program.
The companion Farm Bill proposed by the House of Representatives failed to pass a vote in May partially because of drastic new restrictions on SNAP that would take food off the table for many Nebraskans already struggling to get enough to eat. The House is scheduled to debate and vote on another version of its Farm Bill on June 22.
Today, Nebraska Appleseed Economic Justice Director James Goddard issued the following statement on the Senate’s version of the Farm Bill:
“The Senate’s new bipartisan farm bill affirms what millions of people across the country already know, that SNAP is an essential tool to reduce hunger and poverty in our country and strengthening SNAP – not cutting it – is the correct choice.
“SNAP helps 1 in 11 Nebraska families get the food they need, and the House’s bill would put many of those struggling Nebraskans, including children, older adults, and people who live with a disability, in danger of going hungry.
“We urge the Senate to continue this positive path forward and pass this bipartisan farm bill with no harmful amendments that restrict or cut SNAP. Furthermore, we call on Sen. Deb Fischer and Sen. Ben Sasse to follow the committee’s lead in protecting SNAP by opposing any amendments on the floor that would take away food assistance from Nebraska’s hard-working families who need some help affording the meals they need.”
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