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Special to the Signal

On Thursday, June 21, Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, more commonly known as the Farm Bill. And Alabama 7th Congressional District Representative Terri A. Sewell issued a statement.

According to information released by Alabama 7^th Congressional District Representative Terri A. Swell, the bill cuts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $23 billion, underfunds the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, adds costs to rural development loans, and eliminates the Conservation Stewardship Program, among other provisions.

The 7^th Congressional District of Alabama includes Choctaw, Clarke, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lowndes, Marengo, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Wilcox counties.

Sewell said, “No child deserves to go to bed hungry, but that is exactly what today’s farm bill will do to countless children across the country by making drastic cuts to our food assistance programs.”

Sewell said, “I voted against today’s farm bill because SNAP is a proven pathway out of poverty for our most vulnerable families, and I believe that cutting that lifeline of support is cruel and short-sighted,” she said. “In Alabama’s 7th Congressional District, 60,000 households rely on SNAP to put food on the table. For farmers and grocers in our district, cuts to this program mean lost revenue and bad business. I urge Republicans to end their attack on our social safety net and work with Democrats to help working families build a better life.”