Washington, D.C. — Jacob Leibenluft, executive vice president for Policy at the Center for the American Progress, issued the following statement after the Senate passed a bipartisan Farm Bill by a vote of 86-11:
The Senate spoke loudly and clearly on Thursday. On a bipartisan basis, they overwhelmingly passed a Farm Bill that maintains the integrity of SNAP, a program that helps millions of families across the country put food on the table. The bill stands in marked contrast to the House of Representatives’ partisan bill, which would take away nutrition assistance from more than 2 million people and bar 265,000 children from receiving automatic access to free school meals.
Not only did 86 senators vote for the Senate bill, but a supermajority of senators also rejected an amendment offered by Sens. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and John Kennedy that would have taken away nutrition assistance from millions of people.
The message is clear: both chambers should use the Senate bill as a basis for a final bill and reject the House’s cruel and heartless cuts to nutrition assistance.
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Kyle Epstein at [email protected] or 202.481.8137.