Commentary: ALBUQUERQUE— Lawmakers rejected the 2018 Farm Bill today. The bill would have increased food insecurity by significantly cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, by more than $20 billion over ten years. The cuts would have made it difficult for millions of Americans to access enough groceries and healthy food and would have had a particularly harmful impact on New Mexico, where one in four people rely on SNAP to eat, including one in three of the state’s children.
“We are relieved that the House voted to protect access to food for hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans, including children, low-wage workers, older adults, and people with disabilities,” said William Townley, an attorney with the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. “SNAP is New Mexico’s first defense against hunger and creates jobs in our agricultural and food industries. We hope Congress will move forward with legislation that bolsters our food assistance programs and ensures that no one in our communities goes hungry.”
Rep. Steve Pearce, who represents southern New Mexico’s District 2, voted in favor of the bill. SNAP has been vital in helping struggling southern New Mexicans afford basic nutrition. At least 162,393 New Mexicans in Pearce’s district participate in SNAP. Most of these families include children and nearly a third include senior citizens. Over half of the SNAP participants in District 2 are in working families.
41 organizations, including the New Mexico Pediatric Society, sent a letter this week to Pearce and Representatives Ben Ray Lujan and Michelle Lujan Grisham urging them to vote against the legislation. The letter can be found here: http://nmpovertylaw.org/farm-bill-snap-sign-on-letter-2018-05-15/
The signatories include:
New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty
El CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos
Equality New Mexico
Interfaith Worker Justice - New Mexico
National Education Association- New Mexico
Ojo Sarco Community Center
Rio Grande Food Project
RISE Stronger New Mexico
La Semilla Food Center
Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey
Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico
Interfaith Hunger Coalition
The Community Pantry
New Mexico Pediatric Society
National Center for Frontier Communities
New Mexico Asian Family Center
Senior Citizens Law Office
Freeman House
Prosperity Works
Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-New Mexico
New Mexico Voices for Children
National Union of Hospital and Healthcare Employees- District 1199NM
New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness
Mesilla Valley Community of Hope
Casa Milagro
Enlace Comunitario
Southwest Women's Law Center
New Mexico Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Crossroads for Women
Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico
New Mexico Children Advocacy Networks
Encuentro
OLÉ Education Fund
Pegasus Legal Services for Children
Strong Families NM of Forward Together
Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico
National Center for Frontier Communities
Southwest Center for Health Innovation
Center for Civic Policy
NM CAFé (Comunidades en Acción y de Fe)
New Mexico Community Health Worker Association
For more information on the 2018 Farm Bill and how the SNAP cuts would have impacted New Mexico, go to: http://nmpovertylaw.org/2018/04/proposed-cuts-to-snap-in-house-farm-bill-would-take-food-off-the-table-for-new-mexico-families/
For more information on the 2018 Farm Bill and how the SNAP cuts would have impacted southern New Mexico, go to: http://nmpovertylaw.org/2018/05/farm-bill-proposal-would-hurt-southern-new-mexico-economy-and-leave-families-hungry/
For more information on SNAP in New Mexico, go to: http://nmpovertylaw.org/proposed-budget-will-increase-hunger-and-inequality-in-nm-february-2018/
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The New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty is dedicated to advancing economic and social justice through education, advocacy, and litigation. We work with low-income New Mexicans to improve living conditions, increase opportunities, and protect the rights of people living in poverty.