Farm Bill
What is the Farm Bill?
The Farm Bill is a large agriculture and nutrition package that Congress renews approximately every five years. It sets funding and policy for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as CalFresh in California, and other nutrition, agriculture, rural development, and conservation programs. The country is currently operating under the 2018 Farm Bill, which was extended for its third time (through September 30, 2026) by the government shutdown prevention package passed in November 2025.
On April 30, 2026 the House passed a new farm bill and sent it to the Senate, where its future is uncertain. The House bill locks in the harm that House Resolution 1 (H.R. 1) will cause to SNAP households across the country, including $187 billion in SNAP cuts, reversing decades of work to fight poverty-related hunger. It is unclear whether there is bipartisan support to pass the Senate, raising the likelihood that the current Farm Bill extension could be continued beyond its September 30, 2026 deadline.
Impacts
Food for People, and all California food banks, are planning for increased need. When households lose CalFresh benefits, visits to food banks increase. Food banks cannot tackle food security alone. For every meal a food bank provides, SNAP delivers nine.
The damage inflicted by H.R. 1 includes:
Cuts of $187 billion from SNAP
Increased state administrative cost share for SNAP from 50% to 75%
Punitive SNAP benefit cost-sharing for states
Additional costs to California ranging from $2.3 billion to $5.1 billion annually
Putting more than half a million Californians at risk of losing CalFresh assistance
An end to bipartisan exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth aging out of the system
The increase in states’ share of administrative SNAP costs, and the new cost shift to states for benefits, will force states to make impossible choices of cutting eligibility for individuals and families or cutting other essential services. Some states will be unable to absorb these costs at all. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that H.R. 1’s SNAP benefit cost shift will result in some states leaving the program altogether. Some state and local governments may reduce staffing in response to funding cuts, which will hurt the ability to serve people with timeliness and accuracy.
Economic & Community Impacts
The National Grocers Association estimates that over the next nine years, SNAP sales are expected to decrease on average by 8.7% from current spending levels. Farmers stand to lose $24 billion over the next decade as household food purchases decline. Because SNAP benefits are so urgently needed by families, they are spent quickly. Approximately 97% of benefits are redeemed by the end of the month of issuance, thereby strengthening local economies.
In addition to alleviating poverty and hunger, SNAP is a powerful economic multiplier. Each dollar in federally funded SNAP benefits generates up to $1.80 in economic activity. For small and rural grocers, some of which may be the sole retailer in a community, a significant loss in SNAP transactions will impact whether they can stay in business.
These are not just numbers – they represent lost jobs, empty refrigerators, hungry children, and damage to communities. The current draft Farm Bill is a profound disinvestment in families, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and working parents.
Food security is national security. The cuts to SNAP represent a direct threat to the health and stability of our communities. It will cost more to fix the increased hunger that the proposed Farm Bill will create than it does to address hunger by providing benefits to households that qualify for them. SNAP’s return on investment far outweighs its costs. SNAP reaches vulnerable populations. According to USDA, 79.5% of SNAP households include a child, an elderly person, or a person with disabilities. Research has found that receiving SNAP in early childhood improved high school graduation rates, adult earnings, and adult health.
The Farm Bill historically reflects a longstanding bipartisan recognition that agricultural abundance and food security are inseparable. When families can afford food, farmers have stable markets. When farmers thrive, local economies grow. That successful alignment is now strained with the passage of the House bill.
What’s next?
Senate leadership will now begin consideration of a Farm Bill or farm relief package. We urge the leadership of the Senate and others who are working on farm relief to reject the House bill and instead proceed with legislation that prioritizes families struggling to put food on the table. No Farm Bill is better than a bad one. Every day, our food bank serves people who fear potentially losing their CalFresh benefits.
Join us by sending an email to your Senators with one click! After entering your address, it will begin an email to your specific Senators and provide you with a template email message that you can personalize, if you choose.