New Farm Bill Proposal Cuts Nutrition Programs

Washington, DC, February 13, 2008 – Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, issued the following statement today in response to a new proposal sent to the Senate by Representatives Collin Peterson, chairman, and Bob Goodlatte, ranking member, of the House of Representative's Agriculture Committee:

"House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte today sent the first proposal to the Senate in order to move the Farm Bill forward. Their outline proposes changes in the commodity title to pay for needs in other parts of the Farm Bill. Yet, significant cuts were made to the nutrition title which provides funding for the Food Stamp Program—our first line of defense against hunger.

"The proposal significantly cuts back the $11.5 billion increase for nutrition programs over ten years passed by the full House in July 2007.

"More than a third of House members recently signed a letter declaring that a final Farm Bill that 'under-funds improvements in the nutrition title would be unacceptable' and urges the conference report to 'include permanent funding at no less than the House-passed levels.' We couldn't agree more.

"The final Farm Bill must provide a safety net for people who have the most to lose. Tens of millions of Americans, many of them children and working families, are at risk of hunger every day. Congress cannot compromise the safety net for them."

Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.

###