200+ mayors signed onto the letter encouraging the protection of SNAP and delay of cost shifts in next Farm Bill

Washington, D.C.— Today, a bipartisan group of 210 mayors sent a letter to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Senator John Boozman and Ranking Member Senator Amy Klobuchar urging the Senate to reject harmful cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and delay administrative funding shifts to states.

The letter highlights rising food insecurity driven by the nation’s affordability crisis and notes that more than 4 million people are expected to lose SNAP benefits as a result of H.R. 1. The mayors call on the Senate to delay unsustainable cost shifts to states, protect SNAP eligibility and benefit levels, and support Puerto Rico’s transition from the Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) to SNAP to help ensure equitable access to nutrition assistance.

The letter reads in part:

“America’s mayors are on the front lines of a deepening food security crisis.

“Food security is foundational to the health, prosperity, and resilience of American cities. Hunger is not a partisan issue, and efforts to address food insecurity should rise above political divisions. We stand ready to serve as a resource and partner in crafting Farm Bill legislation that reflects the needs of the communities we collectively represent.”

The full text of the letter can be found below, and a copy is linked here.

The Honorable John Boozman

Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

United States Senate

 

The Honorable Amy Klobuchar

Ranking Member, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

United States Senate

 

Dear Chairman Boozman and Ranking Member Klobuchar:

As the elected leaders responsible for the health, safety, and economic vitality of America’s cities, we write to urge the Senate to protect and strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as you consider the next Farm Bill or any related agricultural relief legislation. At a time when many Americans continue to face economic challenges, we should be working to expand opportunity and food security, not create new barriers to assistance. 

Federal food assistance policy needs to reflect the urgent and growing needs of working families, children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities across the country. As you deliberate, we call on you to:

Reverse the harmful and historic cuts to SNAP and fully fund the program;

Delay the administrative and program cost shifts included in H.R. 1 that impose unsustainable fiscal burdens on states and localities, treat all states equitably by extending the benefit-cost shift delay to Fiscal Year 2030 for all states, to allow time to improve payment error rates and budget for increased costs to the states;

Protect SNAP benefit levels and eligibility standards to ensure that vulnerable households are not pushed further into poverty; and

Enact legislation to effectively transition Puerto Rico from the Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

America’s mayors are on the front lines of a deepening food security crisis. Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York indicate that food insecurity among Americans is now more acute than at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the United States Department of Agriculture reports that more than 4 million individuals have lost SNAP benefits since the enactment of H.R. 1—losses that are being felt acutely in cities and towns of every size and across regions. Rising costs of living, stagnant wages, and reduced federal support are converging to create conditions that municipal governments are increasingly challenged to address on their own.

SNAP remains the nation’s most effective and efficient anti-hunger program. It reduces poverty, supports local economies, and provides an automatic stabilizer during economic downturns. SNAP spending generates significant economic activity in communities—supporting grocery retailers, food producers, and jobs across the supply chain. 

Food security is foundational to the health, prosperity, and resilience of American cities. Hunger is not a partisan issue, and efforts to address food insecurity should rise above political divisions. We stand ready to serve as a resource and partner in crafting Farm Bill legislation that reflects the needs of the communities we collectively represent. 

Respectfully,

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