Urgent request from Channel One Food Bank

11/09/2005

Dear DFL,

The following is an urgent request from Carla, please act now, the vote is tomorrow!

You may also be interested in the website:  http://www.frac.org

Thank you,
- Lynn Wilson

Subject: FW: House to Vote on Budget Reconciliation--Thursday

Lynn:  Can you forward this message from FRAC to the Olmsted DFL e-mail list, or to people within the 1st District who might make calls to Rep. Gutknecht’s office?  Although the editorial in the weekend P-B indicates that he supports the House bill, it would be good to have a number of people contact him with their concerns about this.  Thanks so much.

Carla Johnson, Executive Director
Channel One Food Bank & Food Shelf
Phone: 507/287-2350 x.116

Contact Congressman Gutknecht
Washington, DC
425 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202.225.2472 phone
202.225.3246 fax

Online/E-Mail
gil@mail.house.gov

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From: FRAC [mailto:ichavez@frac.org]
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 4:17 PM
To: Carla Johnson
Subject: House to Vote on Budget Reconciliation--Thursday

Your Calls Are Urgently Needed

House Readies for a Vote on Reconciliation with Damaging Cuts to Food Stamps
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Budget Reconciliation bill Thursday, November 10th .Your calls are needed NOW to urge

House Members to Oppose and “Vote No” on Budget Reconciliation and to Speak Out Against Cuts to the Food Stamp Program

Call 1-800-426-8073 To Speak With Your Representative

Description of Food Stamp Cuts

The House Budget Reconciliation bill contains a cut in the Food Stamp Program of $844 million over 5 years. The cuts would affect some 300,000 people, mostly from working families, by eliminating from food stamp “categorical eligibility” those TANF families receiving non-cash TANF benefits, and also by extending to seven years from five the waiting period for Food Stamp eligibility for certain legal immigrants.  The latter cut affects approximately 70,000 people.  An additional impact of the food stamp categorical eligibility change will be borne by thousands of low-income children who will lose their free school meals, since their families, no longer eligible for food stamps, will not be directly certified for free school meals.

By comparison, the Senate Agriculture Committee made no cuts to nutrition spending.

Although the bill currently does not include previous proposals for a five-state food stamp block grant and for inclusion of food stamps in the superwaiver, it is possible that these provisions could be added to the House bill when the House Rules Committee meets.  (The Committee will determine the parameters and process for House Floor consideration of the entire reconciliation package.)

Reconciliation Cuts Occurring While Problems of Low-Income Americans Deepen

The House Agriculture Committee reported out its bill making $844 million in food stamp cuts over 5 years, on the same day that USDA reported (based on Census Bureau data) that hunger in America has grown for five years straight—and the problem may be accelerating since the jump in 2004 was the worst increase since 2000.  The total number of people living in food insecure households in this country went up to 38.2 million in 2004. This included 24.3 million adults (11.3 percent of all adults) and 13.9 million children (19 percent of all children).

Between now and Thursday morning when the House is slated to vote on Reconciliation, it is important to tell Members, especially those moderate Republicans who remain undecided on Reconciliation, that food insecurity is a serious problem in your state, and that they must not cut food stamps.  Later in this email is a suggested message to communicate, with specific hunger/food insecurity information for your state.

We must keep the pressure on Members of Congress TO OPPOSE AND “VOTE NO” ON BUDGET RECONCILIATION AND SPEAK OUT AGAINST ANY FOOD STAMP CUTS AND ANY STRUCTURAL CHANGES, LIKE BLOCK GRANTS OR ADDING FOOD STAMPS TO THE SUPERWAIVER.

Action/ Message:

Call your U.S. Representative toll-free: 1-800-426-8073

Tell your Member of Congress: 

1) The facts about hunger and food insecurity in your state: 
In Minnesota, we have an appalling rate of food insecurity.  7.2 percent of households are food insecure, and, among these, 2.5 percent are food insecure with hunger.  We have seen no significant improvement in the levels of food insecurity and hunger in Minnesota between the periods of 1999-2001 and 2002-04, despite all the economic growth.

2) “VOTE NO” on the House Budget Reconciliation bill, which cuts a range of program supports for vulnerable, low-income families—Medicaid, foster care payments, child support enforcement and others as well as food stamps; and

3) speak in opposition to the Budget Reconciliation bill specifically because of its cuts to Food Stamps and other programs which provide critical support to millions of low-income families, including Katrina victims and people facing skyrocketing energy prices this coming winter.

Tell your member that, now more than ever, with food insecurity rising across the country and the need to help Katrina victims without harming other people in need, it is unacceptable for Congress to make funding cuts or structural changes that will weaken the well-performing Food Stamp Program.


For on-going information continue to check the FRAC website, http://www.frac.org .