Bread for the World Statement on the 2018 House Farm Bill
Washington, D.C. – Bread for the World today released the following statement regarding the 2018 House Farm Bill. The statement can be attributed to Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World:
“The Farm Bill is an opportunity to help end hunger in the United States and around the world. We are pleased that the House bill maintains and improves international food aid programs. But we must oppose this bill as written because it proposes changes to SNAP that will put millions of women, children, and families at risk of hunger.
“Specifically, the bill imposes benefit and eligibility cuts in addition to stricter work requirements, in the name of getting SNAP recipients ‘back to work.’
“Work is the surest, most sustainable, and dignified way out of poverty. It is a cornerstone of our society that all adults who can work, should work. However, today’s evidence does not demonstrate that strict work requirements on assistance programs, such as SNAP, effectively reduce poverty. This bill would require many people to attend job readiness programs, but the funding for these programs would not allow for job training that would actually get people into jobs.
“Before adding additional work requirements, Congress should review the evidence from the 10 SNAP Employment and Training pilot projects authorized in the last farm bill and ensure that any nationwide program of job training is robust enough to be effective.
“Bread for the World’s 2018 Hunger Report, ‘The Jobs Challenge: Working to End Hunger by 2030,’ provides Congress with a menu of policies that would improve job opportunities for low-income workers today so they can earn enough to no longer need SNAP. Some of the recommendations in this report already have bipartisan support and could become law in the next Congress.
“We encourage Congress to work toward a bipartisan farm bill that ends hunger and malnutrition in the United States and around the world. We also urge lawmakers to enact the policy recommendations in The Jobs Challenge so that people are able to earn enough to pull themselves and their families out of hunger and poverty.”
Tools
from our Resource Library
For Education
Election Resources
One of the best times to raise the issues of hunger and poverty is during election campaigns. Engage candidates in your state/district on hunger and poverty using our elections resources.U.S. Hunger and Poverty State Fact Sheets
These fact sheets provide a snapshot of hunger and poverty in the United States and in each state plus Washington, D.C.
Conflict and Fragility Are Hunger Issues
Conflict is a main driver of the recent increase in hunger around the world and of forced migration. Hunger also contributes to conflict.
For Faith
The Bible on Health as a Hunger Issue
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in faith.” These words from Colossians 2:6 remind us of the faith that is active in love for our neighbors.
The Bible on...
Unity Declaration on Racism and Poverty
A diverse body of Christian leaders calls on the churches and Congress to focus on the integral connection.
Dear Members of Congress,
As the president and Congress are preparing their plans for this year, almost 100 church leaders—from all the families of U.S. Christianity—are...
In Times Like These … A Pan-African Christian Devotional for Public Policy Engagement
This devotional guide invites deepened relationship with and among Pan-African people and elected leaders in the mission to end hunger and poverty.
For Advocacy
Fact Sheet: Coronavirus (COVID-19) and SNAP
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to respond to changes in need, making it well suited to respond to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fact Sheet: Why We Need $200 Million for Global Nutrition Programs
Bread for the World and its partners are asking Congress to provide $200 million for global nutrition in the fiscal year 2020 budget.
Fact Sheet: Hunger by the Numbers
In 2017, 11.8 percent of households in the U.S.—40 million people—were food-insecure, meaning that they were unsure at some point during the year about how they would provide for their next meal.