Feeding America Responds To Senate Passage Of The 2013 Farm Bill

CHICAGO, June 10, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "The need for federal nutrition assistance programs has never been greater.

"Unemployment is stuck at 7.6% nationally, millions of families are scraping by on reduced wages or with reduced hours, and the charitable system is stretched to the breaking point.

"While we are disappointed that an amendment to restore the $4.1 billion in SNAP cuts failed to pass, we are pleased that the Senate demonstrated strong bipartisan opposition to deeper cuts and harmful structural changes to SNAP by voting down several amendments to weaken the program. This sends a strong and clear message to the House that the Senate will firmly oppose further SNAP cuts.

"Now is the time to protect and strengthen nutrition assistance, not cut the benefits upon which so many vulnerable families rely.

"We recognize the challenge of writing a farm bill in a climate of deficit reduction and appreciate that Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Cochran included an additional $54 million for the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which provides nutritious food to food banks and other emergency food providers. We commend them for working together to move a bipartisan bill out of committee and off of the Senate floor.  We will continue working to protect and strengthen hunger-relief programs as the Farm Bill process moves forward."

Contact:
Ross Fraser
312.307.8470

SOURCE Feeding America