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This summer, Catholics around the country are joining with other people of faith to lobby Congress on the Farm Bill, a comprehensive piece of legislation that authorizes hundreds of billions of dollars every five years for programs ranging from food for hungry families to crop insurance for farmers and programs to improve soil health and increase water quality.

Earlier this year, representatives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Relief Services and others encouraged Congress to “prioritize sufficient funding of programs that feed hungry families, both here and abroad, while opposing efforts to weaken the efficacy of or access to these programs.”

They quoted Pope Francis, who has said, “Hunger is criminal, food is an inalienable right.”

Specific programs they support include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. They note that this program, which has one of the lowest fraud rates for federal programs, helped feed more than 41 million Americans in 2021 and lifted nearly three million out of poverty.

They would like SNAP strengthened through updates to calculations that account for rising food prices and increased benefits for households with young children.

In addition, they also recommended expanding eligibility for the program, noting that not all U.S. territories participate in the program at the same level. For example, residents of Puerto Rico receive approximately 60 percent of what residents of the states receive. Furthermore, they wrote that “it’s unconscionable that any members of the armed services and their families should have food security issues, and access should be improved for military families.”

Recognizing that rural communities and small towns are “an essential component of the social and economic life of America,” they urge Congress to support effective policies and programs that will encourage rural development and promote the culture and well-being of rural America.

Such programs include support for commodity and dairy farmers, as well as specialty crops, to encourage diversified production. The letter writers also want to protect the U.S. Department of Agriculture from cuts that would impact its ability to place staff in rural communities to help farmers.

You can support this effort by calling the U.S. Capital Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asking to speak with the Congressional representative.

Deacon Walter Ayres is Director of Catholic Charities Commission on Peace and Justice. The USCCB letter can be found using this link: www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ccusa-farm-bill-principles-letter-2023.pdf.

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