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. The current draft does not mitigate the harm that House Resolution 1 (H.R. 1) will cause to SNAP households across the country. The proposed Farm Bill would reverse decades of work to fight poverty-related hunger.
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 upcoming vote on a draft Farm Bill provides a critical opportunity for Congress to reverse the harmful SNAP provisions within H.R. 1. This draft Farm Bill may be brought to the floor for a vote as soon as the last week of April 2026. It will reflect the damage inflicted by H.R. 1, which 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 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.
What’s next?
Congress still has time to act. We urge Congress to ensure that any Farm Bill reverses SNAP cuts and cost shifts. Congress has an opportunity to reject the proposed Farm Bill, protect children and families from hunger, and strengthen SNAP, rather than make hunger worse. Congress can reverse the SNAP cuts and reject legislation that asks hundreds of thousands of California households to sacrifice their food security to subsidize wealthy corporate tax breaks. We need Congress to stand on the side of dignity, compassion, and justice. Every day, our food bank serves people who fear potentially losing their CalFresh benefits.
How can you help?
Call or email your member of Congress by the end of this weekend, express that this Farm Bill matters to you, and that you need them to vote “no.” To find their contact information, visit www.house.gov/ and enter your zip code.
Or use this easy template to send an email to your Member of Congress in one easy click. Use the template message provided in the tool, or edit it to localize and make it your own.