What Should a Comprehensive, Equitable Farm Bill Look Like?
Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 3:00 p.m. Eastern (2:00 p.m. Central, 1:00 p.m. Mountain, 12:00 p.m. Pacific)
Congress has returned to Washington with major decisions ahead on the Farm Bill and the future of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
A few weeks ago, the Senate Agriculture Committee failed to advance Chairman John Boozman’s Farm Bill 2.0 proposal. The debate highlighted deep disagreements over SNAP, particularly the unprecedented costs H.R. 1 shifts to states. But the future of SNAP cannot be reduced to a debate over whether states receive one or two additional years to implement harmful federal cuts.
Join us for a timely discussion about what a comprehensive and equitable Farm Bill should accomplish.
We will also look beyond the current negotiations to discuss what Congress would need to do to rebuild and strengthen SNAP, recognizing that SNAP needed reform long before H.R. 1 became law.
For decades, federal policies have created barriers that limit who can participate, how much assistance families receive, and whether the program responds adequately to hunger and economic hardship. Puerto Rico remains excluded from SNAP and instead operates under a capped block grant. College students face additional eligibility restrictions. Federal law continues to impose restrictions affecting certain people with felony convictions. The shelter deduction does not fully recognize housing costs for many households. Immigration restrictions have long excluded some lawfully present immigrants. And questions about benefit adequacy and the Thrifty Food Plan persist.
This Farm Bill debate provides an opportunity to ask a much larger question: If we were designing SNAP to effectively prevent hunger, reduce inequities, and serve eligible families today, what would we change?