Anti-Hunger Advocate Denounces Senate Farm Bill Proposal for Ignoring SNAP Crisis
Today, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) released draft Farm Bill legislation that fails to address the ongoing SNAP crisis facing states and families nationwide. The proposal comes after the House of Representatives passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 earlier this spring, which similarly neglects the crisis created by last summer’s Republican-only One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Anti-hunger advocates at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger criticized the proposal as yet another failure and called on the Senate to take swift action to help the millions of low-income Americans being denied access to food assistance.
MAZON President & CEO Abby J. Leibman stated:
“Chairman Boozman had the opportunity to stand up as a bipartisan champion for millions by listening to his colleagues and constituents and using his legislative vehicle to save SNAP from its uncertain fate. Instead, he cowered to the status quo that is responsible for millions of people losing SNAP benefits. This is a perilous moment for our nation’s most effective anti-hunger program, and it requires serious leaders willing to take responsibility for their failures to the American people. But we got more of the same from the majority in Congress that created this mess in the first place.
“In 12 states alone, more than 700,000 children have already lost SNAP benefits since last summer’s law was enacted. Total SNAP participation nationwide has fallen 10 percent since last year, because four million people have unjustly been forced off of the program. Chairman Boozman purportedly wants his framework to start a discussion. But with these shocking findings, what more do we need to discuss? What is he waiting for?
“These aren’t numbers on a spreadsheet or hypotheticals to debate. These are real people — parents, seniors, veterans, working Americans — who are struggling right now in every state across America. Congress must act — right now — to fix this disaster of their own making and ensure that the SNAP crisis is averted before it gets even worse.”
Last month, MAZON led a coalition of 35 national faith-based organizations in writing to Chairman Boozman and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, calling on the Senate to reject the House legislation and pass a Farm Bill that meaningfully addresses hunger in America. The coalition made clear that it’s literally impossible for charity alone to feed 47 million people, and that food pantries, emergency funds, and congregation-based networks must be a last resort instead of a first option for families. The letter firmly stated that the federal government has a moral duty to be part of that response, and a Farm Bill that fails to restore SNAP is a failure of that commitment. The letter, along with all signatories, can be found here.
MAZON’s previous statement condemning House Republicans’s passage of the 2026 Farm Bill can be found here.