Extending SNAP support should be a no-brainer in this economy

The Agriculture Improvement Act, known as the farm bill, is up for renewal this year and lawmakers will soon debate whether to extend key provisions that currently help 34 million people suffering from food insecurity in America.  

But in today’s divisive political environment, where 15 voting rounds are needed to elect a Speaker of the U.S. House, the likelihood that our leaders will reach a consensus on this important legislation, sadly, seems entirely unthinkable.  

The bill, which requires reauthorization every five years, historically provides funding for nutritional and anti-hunger programs for income-challenged Americans. The bill’s current term, which expires later this year (unless Congress acts), has a total budget of $867 billion, where nearly 80 percent of it funds food stamp programs (now called the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP).  

SNAP is the most important tool we have in combatting America’s hunger crisis. But over the years, its inclusion in the farm bill has been at the center of an ugly tug-of-war between two fiercely divided parties on Capitol Hill. 

The SNAP program was contested during the farm bill’s last renewal in 2018 when Republicans sought to dismantle it as it was in the U.S. House version. Every U.S. House Democrat signaled their support for SNAP by unanimously opposing the bill. It was the first time the bill was voted straight down party lines. In 2013, the GOP-controlled U.S. House also passed a version without food stamp support. 

Despite political differences, lawmakers reached an agreement on those bills and included funding for food stamp/SNAP initiatives. But this year, the bill’s renewal will enter a new political arena where the politics of food aid are bound to be fiercely debated. The odds that lawmakers of the 118th Congress will be able to strike a compromise on a spending bill the size of what’s being considered this year, which some say could top $1.3 trillion, are slim at best. 

Nine million children in the U.S. are currently food insecure and depend on SNAP. For them, SNAP’s inclusion in this year’s farm bill reauthorization is essential to their health and educational development. Research shows that children who are hungry underperform in school and are more prone to chronic illness. As Congress begins to consider the SNAP program, the stakes couldn’t be higher.   

Today’s economic challenges present a frightening reality for those who can’t afford to put food on their tables. Inflation may have eased at the gas pump, but the same cannot be said for the cost of food, which has remained at record levels. The Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that from January to November of last year, grocery prices rose 12 percent compared to the overall inflation increase of 7.1 percent. And experts predict prices will stay high for the foreseeable future. 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has elevated the cost of food in the U.S. and around the world. The war-torn country was once a leading agricultural exporter of corn, wheat and other food products. Because of the conflict, Ukraine’s global grain exports have dropped 30 percent, which has caused a ripple effect on food prices everywhere.  

Now is not the time to scale back efforts to confront domestic food insecurity. Quite the opposite: Evidence shows ending hunger is achievable if we put the right resources toward it. Research by the University of Michigan found a reduction in food insecurity took place in the months after pandemic assistance bills were signed into law. But that relief is over now, and many are dependent on programs like SNAP to provide the support they need so that children and their families won’t go hungry.  

President Biden has set an ambitious agenda to end U.S. hunger by 2030. There’s no better vehicle than the farm bill to make this goal a reality. But it will take legislators on both sides of the aisle to prioritize the needs of America’s children and families over politics. 

Access to food in America should not be viewed as a privilege enjoyed only by those who can afford it. Lawmakers must accept food security as a fundamental right, one our government should fight and fund to protect.  

As Congress demonstrates where they stand when they debate and vote on this year’s bill, the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans hang in the balance. 

Lyndon Haviland, DrPH, MPH, is a distinguished scholar at the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy.