Cuts to nutrition program will hit kids hardest
On the release of draft text for the 2024 Farm Bill by the House Agriculture Committee, First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley released the following statement:
“The House Agriculture Committee’s draft Farm Bill makes one thing clear: They do not value children’s well-being. This legislation would slash benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $27 billion over ten years, a cut that would be felt the deepest by the roughly 20 million children who make up half of all SNAP recipients.
And by eliminating updates to the market basket of foods that determines SNAP benefits, this proposal forces USDA to offer a diet that doesn’t meet children’s nutritional needs. Children who lack nutrient-rich, belly-filling food are more likely to perform poorly in school, develop lifelong metabolic diseases, and continue relying on government programs. Contrary to lawmakers’ claims, this proposal is without a doubt a cut — and one that will have a lasting impact on the health of our nation’s children. We urge lawmakers to reject any legislation that aims to take healthy food from the mouths of children.”
First Focus Campaign for Children is a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions.