Upon returning from its July Fourth Recess, the US House of Representatives will take its shot at writing a “Farm Bill,” the authorizing legislation for the nation’s farm security, conservation, and nutritional safety net programs.  Unlike the Senate-passed version of the bill, which reduced funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—also known as food stamps—by a minimal $4.6 billion, the House version of the bill circulated by Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) Thursday in advance of committee mark-up next week takes a much bigger knife to this critical program that keeps nearly 1 out of every 5 North Carolinian families from hunger.  Specifically, the House draft cuts SNAP by $16.5 billion over the next ten years, a deep cut that a just-released report from the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities finds will eliminate food assistance to 2 to 3 million low-income people, mostly low-income working families with children and seniors.

In the midst of high unemployment and falling wages, now is not the time to cut this critical program that helps keep hunger at bay for so many North Carolina families.