LETTER: Proposed House Farm Bill would be devastating for Alaska’s economy

To the editor:

Anti-hunger advocates in Alaska stand strong against the harmful cuts and changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) proposed in the draft 2018 Farm Bill put forth by the House Agriculture Committee. Following this release, Jim Baldwin, Executive Director at Food Bank of Alaska, released the following statement:

“This proposed Farm Bill would increase hunger and hardship by undercutting the best anti-poverty program we have: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps roughly 100,000 Alaskans afford groceries. It will take away or cut food assistance for people struggling in our communities, including parents raising kids, people with disabilities, older workers, low-wage workers, and people temporarily in between jobs.

“Instead of supporting SNAP - a program that keeps Alaskans out of poverty, supports our economy, and improves public health - this proposal shifts funding to a new, unworkable, and woefully-underfunded system that will do little to help people find jobs. We know that most SNAP participants who can work do work, but often in unstable jobs, which leads to gaps in employment. For most, SNAP is a temporary benefit which covers their basic needs until they can get back on their feet. Rather than helping people achieve economic independence, these aggressive new work requirements would punish many of those unable to quickly connect with work by taking away their food assistance, making it more difficult to find future success and re-enter the job market.

“Instead of talking about policy changes focused on punishing people struggling to find jobs and making people hungrier, we will be working with our federal delegation to talk about building upon SNAP’s strengths. SNAP is a sound investment with respect to health, long-term education, and employment outcomes. Strengthening, not cutting, SNAP is the right pathway forward. We need a bipartisan Farm Bill that supports our communities and makes meaningful investments in job training and education programs that would provide low-wage workers with the opportunity to move up the economic ladder.

Cara Durr

Director of Public Engagement

Food Bank of Alaska