Learn why we’re advocating for the Farm Bill

Food insecurity impacts residents in every county across Illinois. More than 1.2 million people in Illinois face hunger and about 30% are children. The lingering impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and historic food inflation have only exacerbated the need for food, meaning that food insecurity is an increasing problem. As a result, more Illinois households are turning to food banks and federal nutrition programs to help put food on the table.

Federal nutrition programs and the emergency food system work together to protect Illinois families against hunger and improve their access to nutritious food. Several of these programs are authorized in the farm bill, making it an important opportunity to strengthen our nutritional safety net to work better for Illinois residents.

The Farm Bill was originally due for reauthorization in 2023. It has now been extended twice, through September 30, 2025. Given congressional dynamics and the new presidential administration, in 2025 the Food Depository will focus our efforts on protecting SNAP from proposed cuts and opposing efforts to restrict eligibility or limit which foods families can purchase with SNAP benefits. We will continue to educate our congressional delegation in Washington about our long-term priorities: supporting the emergency food system, making SNAP more accessible, and improving SNAP benefit adequacy.

**Priority bill numbers below are for the 118th Congress and will be updated for the 119th Congress once available.

SUPPORTING THE EMERGENCY FOOD SYSTEM

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) provides nutritious staples for distribution by food banks through hundreds of pantries, soup kitchens, and other community organizations that help hungry Illinoisans put food on the table. TEFAP also has a strong impact on the farm economy. TEFAP purchases give U.S. growers and producers an average of 27 cents per dollar; by contrast, just around 16 cents of every retail food dollar goes back to farmers.[i]

H.R. 6203/S. 2713, Farmers Feeding America Act
Reps. Andrea Salinas and Jimmy Panetta/Sen. Bob Casey

About one quarter of the food the Food Depository distributes through our partner network comes from TEFAP. Demand for emergency food is still higher than pre-pandemic levels as families struggle to afford the higher cost of food. Food banks need a steady, reliable source of TEFAP foods. This bill would provide an additional $500 million per year for TEFAP food purchases (adjusted for inflation) and authorize the appropriation of $200 million per year for TEFAP Storage & Distribution.

S. 3982, Expanding Access To (EAT) Local Foods Act
Sen. Jack Reed

The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) provided one-time federal funding for states to purchase foods from local, regional, and underserved producers for distribution to underserved communities. Illinois committed to purchasing 100% of products from underserved farmers and ranchers and developed one of the most innovative and inclusive implementation plans to utilize the $28 million it received. Awards for community partners to serve as Lead Agencies for each region of the state were announced in March 2024, and the Food Depository was selected to serve as one of three Lead Agencies for Cook County. The EAT Local Foods Act would create a permanent program similar to LFPA, funded at $200 million per year.

H.R. 4185, Expanding Access To (EAT) Healthy Foods from Local Farmers Act
Rep. Kim Schrier

The 2018 Farm Bill created TEFAP Farm to Food Bank Project grants to help food banks source food from local agricultural producers and reduce food waste. This bill would provide an additional $50 million per year for projects with the broader goal of improving food and ag supply chain resiliency. In 2023, the Illinois General Assembly created the Illinois Farm to Food Bank Program. This bill would build on those state efforts and support food banks in purchasing from small and underserved producers.

MAKING SNAP MORE ACCESSIBLE

While SNAP does a good job of reaching the eligible population overall, there are certain populations that have low uptake of SNAP despite their eligibility. Current eligibility rules and enrollment processes can be complicated and confusing, particularly for mixed status households, college students, and working adults.

H.R. 4170/S. 2038, LIFT the BAR Act
Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Tony Cárdenas/Sen. Mazie Hirono

This bill would remove arbitrary barriers to public benefits for lawfully present immigrants by eliminating the 5-year waiting period for access to federal housing assistance, Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP, TANF, and other federal programs.

H.R. 3183/S. 1488, Enhance Access to SNAP (EATS) Act
Rep. Jimmy Gomez/Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Hunger on college campuses is a growing problem, but most college students are not eligible for SNAP unless they work full time or have a young child. During the pandemic, eligibility rules were modernized to allow more students to access SNAP. This bill would eliminate the eligibility restrictions and expand access to SNAP for college students enrolled in school at least half-time who otherwise qualify.

H.R. 1510/S. 2435, Improving Access to Nutrition Act
Reps. Barbara Lee and Alma Adams/Sens. Peter Welch and Kirsten Gillibrand

Able bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) are limited to 3 months of SNAP benefits within a 36 month period unless they comply with additional work reporting requirements. The Food Depository supports lifting the arbitrary 3-month time limit for all SNAP participants to ensure that all eligible people have access to nutrition assistance.

IMPROVING SNAP BENEFIT ADEQUACY

SNAP benefits should be set at a level so that families can purchase an adequate, nutritious diet. Currently, about 89% of SNAP benefits are exhausted by the third week of the month, meaning benefits are not sufficient to meet participants’ nutritional needs.[ii] Congress should take action to improve SNAP benefit adequacy.

H.R. 3519/S. 2258, Hot Foods Act
Rep. Grace Meng/Sen. Michael Bennet

SNAP program rules have not kept pace with changes in how American families eat. Cold prepared foods are allowed, but hot prepared foods are not—even healthy and economical choices, like a rotisserie chicken. SNAP households deserve to shop with the same dignity, choice, and convenience as non-SNAP customers. This bill would allow hot foods for immediate consumption to be purchased with SNAP benefits at regular SNAP retailers, including farmers markets.

H.R. 3037/S. 1336, Closing the Meal Gap Act
Rep. Alma Adams/Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

SNAP benefits are often not enough to last through the end of the month, causing many families to turn to food pantries. This bill would change the way SNAP benefits are calculated—basing it on a more realistic food budget (the Low-Cost Food Plan, instead of the Thrifty Food Plan)—ensuring benefits are more adequate to help families afford food for the whole month.

H.R. 4149/S. 2015, Opt for Health with SNAP (OH SNAP), Close the Fruit and Vegetable Gap Act
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester/Sen. Cory Booker

The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) provides incentives and produce prescriptions to help SNAP households purchase more fruits and vegetables. In Illinois, the program is known as Link Match, operated by Link Up Illinois/Experimental Station. This bill would increase mandatory funding for GusNIP to support a large-scale expansion of this successful program. It would also eliminate the non-federal matching requirement, helping smaller community partners qualify for funding.

[i] https://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/2022-FarmBillPriorities.pdf

[ii] https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/SNAPEBT-BenefitRedemption.pdf Table 3.1