WASHINGTON (April 30, 2026) The following statement was issued by Eric Mitchell, president of the Alliance to End Hunger, following the passage of H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (“the Farm Bill”) out of the House Agriculture Committee.
“The past few months have highlighted how fragile food security is in the United States and around the globe, and how intertwined the lives of those who struggle to put food on the table are with decisions made at the highest levels of government. This latest Farm Bill does nothing to alleviate the stress and uncertainty felt by millions of Americans and people around the world who worry if there will be enough food for their families every day.
With food prices remaining high, fuel prices reaching prices not seen in years, and changes to federal nutrition programs leading to the removal of millions of struggling families from food assistance, this bill misses the moment to restore food access and strengthen programs.
Following the harmful provisions of H.R. 1, this legislation will do nothing to alleviate the strain on state and local governments working to administer SNAP benefits, and it maintains burdensome work and paperwork requirements for individuals and families in need of food assistance. Globally, the legislation passes on an opportunity to enable global food security programs to operate in the most efficient and effective way possible – restricting Food for Peace nonemergency programming and failing to build on and strengthen programs like the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust and Food for Progress.
This legislation does include limited policies that our members support, including making online SNAP purchasing permanent and funding a Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) home delivery pilot program for seniors in rural areas and on tribal lands. It also adds limited flexibility to the global McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program to purchase foods regionally. Further, support for agricultural production will positively impact rural communities that are increasingly feeling the brunt of economic hardship. However, the overall bill continues to erode the critical relationship between agriculture and food security that has traditionally been supported and nurtured in the Farm Bill. We urge Congress to ensure that food and nutrition security as well as agriculture are made priorities in this and all future Farm Bills.”
