ADVOCACY ACTION!
Urge Congress to Reject the House Ag Committee Farm Bill, Restore Critical SNAP Funding
Congress must take immediate action to reverse the devastating cuts and other harmful changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that are included in the budget reconciliation law, H.R. 1. It is imperative that the House does not move forward with the flawed House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill that does not reverse any of these crushing SNAP cuts and program changes.
Independent analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirms that the impact of the cuts will inflict widespread harm on millions of Americans, particularly children, older adults, parents, veterans, the unhoused, people with disabilities, and working families — translating into empty cupboards, missed meals, and impossible choices between food, rent, and medicine. In addition to the human toll, the cuts will also have dire economic impacts on farmers, food retailers, local communities, and the overall national economy.
Update on the Farm Bill
The Farm Bill is a large piece of legislation that is updated roughly every 5 years. It includes essential funding for programs our neighbors rely and depend on, like SNAP (formerly known as the Food Stamp program), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and funding that helps our farms and agriculture systems thrive.
Here’s a summary of the Farm Bill from Feeding America:
Overall Takeaways
- The bill does not include Feeding America’s top request: a significant increase in funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) food purchases or enhanced support for storage and distribution.
- Positive elements include a new home‑delivery pilot for seniors, stronger connections between local producers and food programs, and improved SNAP card security.
- However, the bill ignores several key SNAP priorities, such as simplifying eligibility, delaying state cost shifts, and expanding participation for Puerto Rico and U.S. territories.
Nutrition Title Highlights
1. The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
- Reauthorizes TEFAP food purchases and infrastructure grants through 2031.
- Maintains existing infrastructure grant levels ($15M annually).
- Allows states to use up to 20% of TEFAP funds for fresh food purchases through the DoD Fresh Program.
- No increase in food purchase funding, despite rising demand.
2. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Positive changes:
- Strengthens EBT card security.
- Makes online purchasing a permanent nationwide program.
- Reauthorizes SNAP benefits funding through 2031.
- Adds animal protein as an eligible incentive food.
Concerning proposals:
- Alters SNAP’s purpose to emphasize preventing diet‑related disease—raising fears of restrictive or stigmatizing policies.
- Allows privatization of certain SNAP administrative tasks, which has historically led to errors and access barriers.
- Requires USDA to report all payment errors, increasing administrative burdens.
- Builds on previous SNAP cuts passed in 2025 (H.R. 1), potentially worsening access challenges.
Additional Nutrition and Commodity Program Updates
Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
- Reauthorized through 2031.
- Creates a $10M annual home‑delivery pilot, prioritizing rural seniors.
- Establishes a demonstration project allowing Tribal organizations to manage CSFP food purchasing.
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
- Reauthorized through 2031.
Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP)
- Reauthorized through 2031.
- Expands eligible foods to include tree nuts and maple syrup.
Local Food Purchasing & Regional Food Systems
The bill creates a new program modeled on the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program:
- Authorizes $200M per year (appropriated, not mandatory).
- Supports local producers and food distribution networks.
- Requires at least 25% of food purchases to come from small or beginning farmers.
- Allocates 10% of funding to Tribal governments.
- No more than 15% of funds may be used for administration.
Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP)
- Reauthorized through 2031.
- Expands eligible foods to all forms of fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
- Allows cost‑share waivers in persistent poverty areas.
Other Notable Provisions
- Increases funding for Healthy Food Financing to $135M.
- Expands dairy nutrition incentive projects with $50M annually.
- Strengthens Buy-American requirements for school meals.
- Extends Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program through 2031.
- Updates dietary guideline processes, including new advisory board requirements.
- Requires annual reporting on food loss and waste program activities.
Non‑Nutrition Provision
- Requires the School Breakfast Program to follow the same milk requirements as the School Lunch Program, including whole milk eligibility.
The Farm Bill is under construction as of March 25, and will continue as amendments or changes are added. You can learn more about the the Farm Bill at the links below from the official US Congress website, Feeding America, and the Food Research & Action Center.
Our Public Policy
Advocacy is essential to advance and achieve Food Bank of the Albemarle’s mission: The Food Bank of Albemarle’s mission is to foster community collaboration, connecting people to healthy food and a brighter future.
Public policy and government programs serve a vital role in promoting food security, increasing economic mobility, and ensuring families have the foundational support they need to reach their potential. These policies and programs complement Food Bank of the Albemarle’s role in our region. For example, SNAP provides nine meals for every one provided by the Food Bank. In addition, school nutrition programs are the frontline to address food insecurity for children and work in coordination with our services.
Providing opportunities for members of our community to thrive takes more than providing good food; it also requires advocating for effective policies at every level of government.
Food Bank of the Albemarle is a nonpartisan nonprofit committed to advocating for policies that impact the neighbors we serve. We believe everyone should be informed about legislation and programs that affect food security, including TEFAP, CSFP, and SNAP. Community engagement is essential to our mission, and one of the most effective ways to create change is by participating in the democratic process.
That’s why we partner with nonpartisan organizations to help neighbors learn how and where to register to vote and encourage active participation in national, state, and local elections. Your voice matters—together, we can build a stronger, hunger-free community.
Our policy agenda will focus on protecting and strengthening nutrition programs, the food system, and the health of our communities, and on advancing success for all members of our region.
Legislative Breakfast 2026
Thank you to everyone who attended our annual Legislative Breakfast on March 6th. You can find the presentation slides below.
For additional information please contact Brian Gray, Director of Communications & Public Policy at brgray@afoodbank.org or call 252-335-4035, ext. 113.
The NC Senate Appropriations Budget
We understand that the Senate Appropriations Committee recommendations did not include any funding for the North Carolina food banks, including the Food Bank of the Albemarle, in the next fiscal year’s budget. This funding provided millions of meals to our neighbors across Northeastern North Carolina through our network of hunger-relief partners across the 15 counties we serve.
- The loss of the appropriation of $1 million to Food Bank of the Albemarle would result in 800,000 fewer meals, and make us rely on public support to make up the difference.
- This food stocks the food pantries of Northeastern North Carolina.
- Food Bank of the Albemarle has already reduced staffing by 19% due to cuts.
Impact of State Funding and Federal Programs
With the recent passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, nearly $200 billion in SNAP benefits will be cut at a time when our neighbors need help the most. With fewer (or no) benefits, our neighbors will seek out their local pantry to get the food they need. Food Bank of the Albemarle and our partner network will not be able to meet the gap in meals due to this extreme change in our neighbor’s SNAP benefits.
- Together, the six North Carolina Food Banks serve all 100 counties through over 2,700 distribution organizations, including faith-based, private nonprofit, healthcare, and school partners.
- We purchase food from more than 47 farmers in Northeastern NC. These efforts are about feeding people and investing in local economies.
- The loss of LFPA (Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program) eliminated $1 million (800,000 lbs. of food) in funding that allowed FBA to support area farmers, growers, and packers through the purchase of local and fresh products.
- Our service area in northeastern North Carolina faces unique challenges due to its deeply rural nature and limited economic resources. Unlike other regions, we do not have access to large manufacturers, major corporations, or significant local wealth to help offset recent funding cuts. This makes it extremely difficult to raise the additional funds needed to continue meeting the growing needs of our neighbors. Without external support, our ability to provide healthy food to those who rely on us is at serious risk.
We appreciate your consideration and commitment to continuing your bi-partisan investment in this funding, which is about more than food – it is about our shared values, support of families and farmers, and keeping North Carolina’s economy strong.
We urge you to contact the committee members of the 2025-2026 session immediately. Ask them to:
- Allocate $9.1 million to be split evenly between the 6 NC food banks.
- Consider the impact a loss of $1 million to Food Bank of the Albemarle and how the loss of over 800,000 meals will impact their constituents.
Click the links below to email your representative
Take a few minutes to watch these stories from our neighbors who rely on SNAP and Food Bank programs to eat each month:
Advocate to Help Us End Hunger in Northeastern NC
In the 15 counties that Food Bank of the Albemarle serves in Northeastern NC, 1 in 6 of our neighbors are food insecure. These are our friends, co-workers, and family that don’t know where their next meal might come from.
As the cost of food, housing, utilities and other necessities continue to rise, we are seeing record increases in people coming to food pantries.
Together, we have a collective voice and action to change the state of hunger. Our non-partisan advocacy efforts push for policy that give our neighbors choice (SNAP) and have access to nutritious food through the The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).
Protect SNAP and Nutrition Programs
Federal nutrition benefits lift millions of families and individuals out of poverty, alleviate food insecurity, and have positive economic impact in the communities we serve.
The Food Bank operates U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition programs such as TEFAP, SNAP, CSFP, and childhood nutrition programs.
Through the budget process and other actions, the Food Bank advocates for the protection, and where warranted, expansion, of these programs to support individuals and families most at risk of being food insecure.
Local Food Donations & Purchasing
The Food Bank network distributes over 8 million pounds of food each year.
This is only possible thanks to the generosity and commitments of our local farmers and growers to provide nutritious food as donations and through low-cost purchase programs. This requires policies and regulations that support our local farmers in promoting sustainability and continuing the pipeline of surplus food coming to the Food Bank. We work to secure state and federal investments in our local agriculture that help offset the costs to grow, harvest and transport this important food.
We need you to advocate with our local and state legislators to keep this funding and food flowing through our network, so that our communities have access to the most nutritious local food possible.
Want to learn more?
- Share our neighbors’ and partners’ stories.
- Follow the Food Bank on social to stay up to date on policy actions: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
- Know who your state representatives are, their positions on key issues, and how to contact them: here or here
- Visit the Congressional Hunger Center to learn more about food insecurity in the U.S. and how advocacy fits in
