Sacramento, CA – California’s SNAP stakeholders – representing grocers, county administrators, labor unions, legal aid leaders, food banks, and anti-hunger advocates – are deeply disappointed that the House passed H.R. 7567, the so-called “skinny” Farm Bill, that did not follow the traditional Farm Bill process and locks in H.R. 1’s devastating SNAP cuts that threaten a hunger crisis across California, including bipartisan support from the California Delegation. We thank all California Members who voted “Nay.”

H.R. 7567 does nothing to undo or even delay the extreme harm that H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation bill passed on a partisan basis, will cause to recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits nationwide. The bill also undermines SNAP Quality Control, state administrative expenses, merit system protections, and more. 

The evidence of H.R. 1’s existential threat to food security is overwhelming – more than 3 million people have already lost SNAP benefits nationwide, a precipitous drop in program participation.

In California alone, the H.R. 1 provisions puts nearly 1 million Californians at risk of losing the critical food assistance they receive through SNAP, known as CalFresh in California. 

In one month, on June 1st, expansions of the failed, cruel 3-month time limit threaten disproportionate harm to nearly 1 million Californians facing the greatest barriers to stable employment, including parents and caregivers with children aged 14-18, people experiencing homelessness, veterans, foster youth, survivors of domestic violence, and others navigating unstable work or health challenges. 

Another 72,000 humanitarian immigrants began to lose SNAP eligibility on April 1st, including survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence as well as refugees who were admitted legally to the United States, individuals and families who helped U.S. troops or are escaping war-torn countries. 

Still looming are H.R. 1’s path-breaking administrative and SNAP benefit cost shifts that the Congressional Budget Office estimates could jeopardize states’ very ability to maintain their current programs. 

We call on the Senate to reject the House’s approach in H.R. 7567 and craft a Farm Bill that reflects the full Farm Bill coalition to improve our nation’s safety net that supports farmers and families, including to recognize the fundamental value of SNAP by reversing H.R. 1’s cuts and cost shifts. 

With H.R. 1’s largest cuts just weeks away, California must continue to lead. We call on state policymakers to intervene in the upcoming 2026-27 budget to mitigate the harms from H.R.1, investing to ensure as many Californians stay connected to federal food assistance, and bolster the state’s food safety net for those who face hunger as a result of H.R. 1. 

Quotes: 

“While Congress debates the Farm Bill, real people are already going hungry. The House Farm Bill not only fails to undo the devastating cuts to the SNAP due to H.R. 1 — it locks them in. H.R. 1 puts counties in the impossible position of dramatically increased workload to implement complex new requirements, while cutting the federal share of program administration in half. H.R. 1 is an existential threat to our communities, and we call on the Senate to pass a Farm Bill that undoes the damage from H.R. 1 and restores SNAP as our nation’s best defense against hunger.” - Carlos Marquez III, Executive Director, County Welfare Directors Association of California

“The federal Farm Bill that passed in the House of Representatives does nothing to address America’s growing affordability crisis or to help working families who are facing hunger,” said Crystal Irving, president of SEIU Local 221 and SEIU California Executive Board Member. “SEIU members know from our work that hunger has lasting negative effects on children and families, and we are deeply outraged by the fact that these cuts were made to justify further enriching profitable corporations and the wealthy. We urge the Senate to reject this cruel bill.”

Elected officials often ask how they can add grocery stores to their community. Voting to pass a Farm Bill that does not reverse cuts to SNAP will have the opposite effect. Cuts to SNAP have a chilling effect on the wellbeing of low-income families who currently have regular access to stores where they can redeem their SNAP dollars for fresh and nutritious food. In many underserved neighborhoods, SNAP recipients make up the majority of a store’s customer base. Without that support, many of these stores will be forced to close their doors. Grocery stores are economic anchors and essential sources of health and well-being. California Grocers Association urges Congress to vote no on the proposed Farm Bill.

“Food Banks across the state are already serving 6 million people per month, with hundreds of thousands more turning to food banks as they systematically lose eligibility in SNAP later this year. This Farm Bill should invest in both farms that produce food, and families needing help putting food on their tables. Congress must act to undo the cuts and cost shifts to SNAP that were passed in HR1 to help our veterans, seniors, children, and families across the country. We urge the Senate to only consider a Farm Bill that reverses the SNAP cuts and state cost shift.” – Stacia Levenfeld, Chief Executive Officer, California Association of Food Banks 

“Once again children and families are falling victim to cruel and politically driven policy making in Washington. We urge the U.S. Senate to have the courage to do what the House did not and ensure that no child in this country goes hungry. A staggering 1 million Californians are at risk of losing food assistance, including 60,000 children who will lose access to CalFresh due to new work requirements. Already, 25,000 children have lost access to food due to cuts to humanitarian immigrants on April 1st, and the cuts threaten food stability for unhoused Californians, former foster youth, seniors, veterans, and humanitarian immigrants. In addition to calling on Senators to prevent this oncoming humanitarian crisis, we urge California policymakers to close corporate tax loopholes in the Golden State and invest in programs to ensure that California immigrants and low-income children and families do not go hungry.” – Shimica Gaskins, President & CEO, End Child Poverty California

“The consequences of this Farm Bill extend far beyond food. These cuts will shift billions of costs onto the state, threatening the stability of our entire public safety net system from CalWORKs to childcare to essential health programs that millions of Californians rely on to survive. In the wealthiest nation in the world, taking food from people in need is an act of state violence, and allowing these cuts to stand will cost thousands of Californians their lives. We urge the Senate to do what the House failed to do: reject any Farm Bill that balances the federal budget on the backs of the poorest Californians and fails to honor the fundamental right to food.”  – Cori Racela, Executive Director, Western Center on Law & Poverty 

“The current 2026 Farm Bill falls short of fully addressing the needs of communities relying on SNAP. By failing to address and reverse the harmful SNAP cuts enacted under H.R. 1, Congress is leaving millions of vulnerable households and the broader food system at risk. In California, where SNAP benefits are a critical economic driver for grocery retailers, farmers, and local communities, these omissions will have real consequences. We urge legislators to take a closer look at what’s at stake and act to protect and strengthen California’s food system by restoring and safeguarding SNAP benefits.” – Leticia Garcia, Government Affairs Director, California Retailer’s Association