SNAP is safe, but we can't let up

Earlier today, a farm bill that would have taken away food assistance from struggling Americans failed dramatically on the House floor.

As we celebrate, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible work of our advocates and partners all over the country. From the moment this bill was proposed, they have been working tirelessly to stop it. They went in to meet with Congress. They got this bad bill in the headlines, publishing dozens of letters-to-the-editor across the country. They called their representatives on Capitol Hill – and then they called again, and again after that. They built on their relationships with key congressional aides, emailing back and forth as staff advised their bosses how to vote. Even when the vote was moments away, they were still in action!

While we should take time to celebrate this victory, we can’t let our guard down. House leadership has already signaled it may try to bring back this farm bill for another vote, and as long as that’s a possibility, we must keep up the pressure and stay vigilant.

We should also push congressional leaders to learn from the House’s failure. In the coming weeks, the Senate is crafting its own farm bill: we need to make sure they craft a bipartisan bill that protects SNAP, which helps over 40 million people in this country buy groceries and put food on the table.

For now, I want to thank our advocates in every corner of the country for the great work. These are challenging times, but your voices matter. Keep it up.

Ready to take more action? Write a letter to the editor to make sure Congress knows we’re counting on them to reject any bill that would take food away from struggling Americans.