As the House Agriculture Committee begins working on the Farm Bill today, Van Orden should fight for Wisconsin families and reject cuts to SNAP
Thursday, May 23, 2024
MADISON, Wis. – After failing to finalize a Farm Bill last year, Republicans in Congress have proposed a new draft that includes potential cuts to food assistance programs. As the committee begins markup on the bill today, Congressman Derrick Van Orden should use his position on the committee to reject these cuts that will raise costs and make it tougher for families to put food on the table.
Republicans have proposed limiting future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, which is used to calculate SNAP benefits for tens of millions of Americans. By prohibiting future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, Congress would effectively be cutting SNAP benefits instead of allowing them to be updated to reflect the cost of food. For example, one study found that updates to the plan after the 2018 Farm Bill led to an increase of $317 million in SNAP benefits for Wisconsin families.
Congressman Van Orden has previously voted in favor of slashing food assistance programs. Last year, he supported the Default on America Act, which would have threatened SNAP benefits for 14,000 Wisconsinites, cut Meals on Wheels access for more than 1 million seniors nationwide, and jeopardized WIC benefits for nearly 1.2 million women, babies, and children.
Last year, Van Orden also misled constituents on the status of a new Farm Bill, telling WSAW “I’m very happy with the Farm Bill as it was passed out of the full committee and we are waiting to get that to the full floor to pass it.” At the time, as WSAW also reported, the new Farm Bill had not even been introduced at the committee level, let alone passed out of it as Van Orden claimed.
“Having a Farm Bill that protects access to food assistance programs and supports Wisconsin family farmers is essential for the success of our state and the economic security of so many families,” said Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. “As a member of the committee, Congressman Van Orden has a responsibility to fight for families here in Wisconsin, and he should vote against these devastating cuts to food assistance programs. While families are still struggling with higher costs, we shouldn’t force some of our most vulnerable neighbors to pay even more at the grocery store by cutting benefits that support them.”
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