This statement can be attributed to Olivia Golden, executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP).

Washington, DC, December 12, 2018–After months of debate and negotiation, Congress finally passed the 2018 farm bill today, reaffirming that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is our nation’s most effective anti-hunger program. Following the historic support of the Senate-passed bill, the final version of the farm bill, which also funds the nation’s agricultural programs, protects access to food assistance for more than 40 million people who struggle against hunger. The farm bill improves SNAP by building on best practices in workforce development to better connect SNAP participants to meaningful jobs, strengthening program integrity, and improving the technology used to administer the program.

During increasingly partisan times, CLASP is grateful that key members of Congress worked across the aisle to ensure SNAP continues to help feed workers, parents, children, seniors, and people with disabilities. In particular, we applaud the hard work of Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) as well as House Committee on Agriculture Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota) for their leadership and commitment to protecting SNAP from cuts and harmful changes. We thank them and other champions in Congress for ensuring that SNAP will continue to help families in low-income households purchase food.

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CLASP is a national, nonpartisan, anti-poverty organization advancing policy solutions that work for low-income people. With nearly 50 years of trusted expertise, a deeply knowledgeable staff, and a commitment to practical yet visionary approaches to opportunity for all, CLASP lifts up the voices of poor and low-income children, families, and individuals, equips advocates with strategies that work, and helps public officials put good ideas into practice. The organization’s solutions directly address the barriers that individuals and families face because of race, ethnicity, and immigration status, in addition to low income. For more information, visit clasp2022.tealmedia.dev and follow @CLASP_DC.