Bread for the World Opposes the House FARRM Act of 2013

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bread for the World is troubled that the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act of 2013 fails to provide a place at the table for poor and hungry people. The bill, which the House Agriculture Committee is considering this week, proposes more than $20 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. 

"These cuts will take as many as 2 million recipients off the program and reduce benefits for 850,000 households by about $90 a month," said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. "An additional 210,000 children will no longer be eligible for school meals if these cuts are enacted. Hungry and poor people do not deserve to bear the brunt of our deficit-reduction efforts."

Nutrition programs funded through the farm bill weave a safety net that protects children, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income working families from hunger and poor nutrition. These programs comprise nearly 80 percent of the farm bill budget and serve more than 47 million Americans.  

The bill also cuts international food aid by $2.5 billion over five years, including a 78 percent reduction in funding for improving the nutritional quality of food aid. In addition, the House bill does not include several reform provisions proposed in the Senate bill, including increased funding for local and regional procurement.

"These cuts are worse than what was proposed in 2012," added Beckmann. "Lawmakers must look for other measures for balancing our federal budget than to do so on the backs of hungry and poor people who did not create the deficit in the first place."

Bread for the World is asking Congress to oppose these cuts by circulating a letter to the House Agriculture Committee urging a no vote on the FARRM Act of 2013. 

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

SOURCE Bread for the World

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