2026 Farm Bill Priorities

Any Farm Bill or farm relief package must also include relief for families struggling with affordability. This means protecting and strengthening the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

SNAP is our nation’s most effective nutrition program and most powerful tool to end hunger. SNAP helps roughly 42 million Americans—mainly children, seniors and adults with disabilities—afford nutritious food. Current benefit levels are modest, but they provide critical support for families, with nearly 90% of SNAP benefits going to households with incomes at or below the poverty line and 54% to those at or below half of the poverty line. Investing in SNAP also supports the farm economy and rural communities, key goals for a Farm Bill. 

Despite SNAP’s proven track record, Congress enacted devastating cuts and made damaging structural changes to the program as part of the 2025 budget reconciliation bill H.R.1. Many of the changes that limit access to SNAP are taking effect now, like expanded work reporting requirements with harsh time limits. And while states will not take on a share of benefit costs for a few more years, they must begin planning now for the risk of a benefit cost shift due to state budget cycles. Moreover, their future liability will be based on state actions before the law was even passed and during the challenging period of implementation.

To address these harms, the next Farm Bill or farm relief package must: 

• Delay or Reverse State Cost Shifts 

• Restore Eligibility and Reject Further Cuts to Benefits 

• Preserve the Intent of SNAP

• Enhance SNAP Security

• Improve Program Efficiency 

• Uphold Program Integrity