2024 Farm Bill is an Opportunity to Advocate for Food Security

As we’re watching the continuing crisis unfold for families impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, it’s heartbreaking to see vulnerable communities lose everything. These recent crises are now layered on top of the ongoing struggles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. With pandemic-era benefits that kept families afloat during the pandemic at an end, we’re seeing what happens when families fall off the benefits cliff, leading to a rise in food insecurity at alarming rates. This tells us something crucial: in times of crisis, the social safety net works. In the wake of these hurricanes and the ongoing fallout from the pandemic, it’s time to expand, not cut, these vital supports. As lawmakers gather to discuss the Farm Bill, we must ask: will they choose to strengthen our communities through a robust Farm Bill?

Lawmakers are returning to Washington this fall during the lame duck session—the period after the election and before the new Congress is sworn in—giving us a unique opportunity to push for a Farm Bill that has long been overdue. High-level negotiations are anticipated, with emergency disaster funding and potential Farm Bill extensions on the table. It’s time to take action for a strong Farm Bill with no cuts to important social safety net programs and stronger supports for sustainable locally controlled agriculture.

The Farm Bill is the key piece of legislation through which essential nutrition programs are renewed, making it critical for addressing the urgent needs we’re seeing right now. A renewal of the Farm Bill is long overdue, with extensions expired and discussions completely stalled. But with the devastation wrought by the hurricanes fresh in the minds of voters and lawmakers alike, a new sense of urgency surrounds the reauthorization of the Farm Bill. 

Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon PHFO strongly believes that any resources allocated to Title I (commodities) or other Farm Bill titles must also support Title IV (nutrition). The critical role of nutrition programs like SNAP, the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) cannot be overstated, especially as food insecurity remains stubbornly high across the country.

In support of food justice and sovereignty we endorse the Native Farm Bill Coalition’s platform, including the following priorities:

• Protecting Indigenous food sovereignty
• Increasing funding for Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
• Ensuring that Native communities have access to programs that build resilient food systems

Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon urges lawmakers to:

1. Protect and strengthen SNAP: SNAP is a cornerstone of the Farm Bill, and its funding must remain intact.
2. No bill is better than a bad bill: A Farm Bill that weakens or cuts SNAP is unacceptable.
3. Ensure that Title IV (nutrition) receives its fair share of any new funding.
4. Prioritize new funding for SNAP/nutrition priorities, including permanent replacement benefits for victims of SNAP skimming.

Food security should never be compromised, particularly in times of economic uncertainty and increasing natural disasters.

Call to Action:

Join us in advocating for these critical priorities. Our Co-Executive Director, Sarah Weber-Ogden is meeting with our congressional delegates on November 14th in Washington DC and will hand deliver this letter. We aim to present a strong list of signers. Please add your name to urge lawmakers to prioritize food security and nutrition in the Farm Bill. Your voice matters.