WASHINGTON (September 17, 2026) — The following statement was issued by Eric Mitchell, president of the Alliance to End Hunger, following the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry’s party-line vote (12-11) to advance its version of the Farm Bill, the Agricultural Act of 2026, out of committee.
“Throughout months of debate over the Farm Bill, we’ve watched more and more people lose the food assistance they need. Roughly 5 million people – including more than 1.2 million children – have already lost access to SNAP since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act took effect last year. This is both a moral failure and a policy failure.
“This one-year delay in implementing the law’s new SNAP benefit cost-share requirement only gives states limited time to figure out how to cover new huge budgetary costs; without truly addressing the loss of access to food. People who need food assistance will keep losing it, and states will still have to decide whether they can implement this essential program at all.
“To be clear, this Farm Bill includes provisions that matter for farmers and agricultural communities, particularly as input and transportation costs continue to climb. But pitting the food and nutrition needs of hungry Americans against our nation’s strong agriculture sector serves no one.”
