House Passes Appropriations Bill: proposed cuts to programs that keep millions from going hungry would be devastating

With more than 50 million people facing hunger, the unemployment rate still hovering near 9 percent, and one in eight Americans seeking food from Feeding America food banks, the proposed cuts to safety-net programs that keep millions of women, infants, children and seniors from going hungry would be devastating

• Funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) would be cut $51 million – or 20%. The program provides food at no cost to low-income Americans in need of short-term hunger relief, resulting in a decrease of the amount of food available to distribute to struggling families in a time of record need.
• $12 million from administrative funding to TEFAP would be cut. These funds help food banks and other agencies store and safely distribute emergency food, making it more difficult for them to serve hungry families.
• $38 million – or 22% – from the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), which provides a nutritious monthly food package primarily to low-income seniors. This cut would literally take food away from senior citizens across the country.
• $686 million from The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which would end food assistance for over 300,000 low-income women and children.

Now that the House has passed its FY 12 budget resolution and its agriculture appropriations bill, our focus shifts to the Senate.  With the Senate poised to act on their budget resolution and appropriations process, our best chance to reject the House-approved cuts and protect these vital programs lies there. 

It is critical that key Senators hear opposition to nutrition cuts so they know these programs are important to their constituents and they should protect them as senators draft a more viable deficit reduction plan and more humane agriculture appropriations bill.  Please use our Hunger Action Center to urge our congressional leaders to protect the programs that help those in need.

All Information from Feeding America website @ http://feedingamerica.org/get-involved/advocate/2011-budget-cuts.aspx