May 15, 2018

The Honorable The Honorable Chairman Ranking Member Senate Committee on Agriculture Senate Committee on Agriculture 328A Russell Senate Office Building 328A Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Michael Conaway The Honorable Chairman Ranking Member House Committee on Agriculture House Committee on Agriculture 1301 Longworth House Office Building 1301 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Roberts, Ranking Member Stabenow, Chairman Conaway and Ranking Member Peterson:

We, the 47 undersigned bipartisan mayors, urge Congress to reauthorize the nation’s nutrition and agricultural legislation, the “Farm Bill,” before September 30th, 2018. As local leaders, we are focused on eliminating hunger and disparities in health to build a stronger society for all of our residents. The Farm Bill is a crucial link between rural and urban communities, and the programs it authorizes provide critical assistance to those facing the devastating effects of poverty, hunger and poor health. We ask you to build upon these programs’ strengths, not impose cuts and new requirements that would punish those already struggling to make ends meet. As you deliberate over the reauthorization over the coming months we hope you consider the following recommendations as part of that effort:

Defend against cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP):

 Keep the agriculture and nutrition titles together  Maintain SNAP funding levels  Oppose new eligibility requirements and benefit cuts, including changes to categorical eligibility, elimination of the minimum benefit and caps on benefits to large households  Oppose elimination of the LIHEAP/SUA link and nationwide standardization of SUA benefits  Oppose any efforts to change the funding structure of SNAP, including block grants  Oppose changes to ABAWD waivers, exemptions and age requirements  Oppose raising age of who is elderly from 60 to 63  Oppose cap on state administrative expenses Strengthen the SNAP program to ensure vulnerable populations get the benefits they need:

 Eliminate the time limit provision for Able Bodied Adults without Dependents (ABAWDs) and/or extend the recertification period to 12 months for ABAWDs meeting the employment requirement  Eliminate SNAP work requirement for students  Eliminate SNAP work requirement and time limit for veterans  Increase funding for SNAP employment and training programs to help people find employment and training opportunities before time-limiting their benefits  Eliminate SNAP cap on excess shelter deduction  Increase minimum SNAP benefits levels for older Americans and households with income  Base SNAP benefit allotments on the Low-Cost Food Plan so that SNAP benefit levels accurately reflect the costs of a nutritious diet in the Streamline SNAP program administration to increase cost efficiencies while improving access to benefits:

 Amend the SNAP certification period for the elderly/disabled individuals from 24 to 36 months  Amend the SNAP definition of “disability” to include persons who have been medically determined to be disabled and who have applied for and are awaiting a decision on eligibility for federal disability benefits  Extend SNAP certification to 24 months when SNAP payments are lower than the tolerance level of $38.  Allow on demand telephone interviews to be included as an acceptable interview method in the administration of SNAP benefits without the need for a pro forma waiver  Increase timeframe on transitional SNAP benefits from 5 months to a minimum of 6 months to align with other federal assistance programs  Eliminate documentation requirement for shelter expenses for all case types in large metro areas up to median shelter expense for the area  Eliminate the SNAP Six Month Periodic Report  Eliminate the face-to-face interview requirement and expand application methods to include online capabilities within the Disaster-SNAP program Increase Access to Fresh, Healthy, and Local Foods:

 Reauthorize and increase funding for the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) grant program to provide incentives for SNAP recipients to purchase healthy food  Reauthorize the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) to expand access to grocery stores in food deserts  Increase funding for SNAP-Ed and other outreach and nutrition education efforts  Maintain SNAP-Ed as mandatory funding  Expand the Farmers Market Promotion Program and the Local Food Promotion Program Ensure that farmers’ markets have access to Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) technology  Expand School Food programs such as the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program and maintain requirements that fruits and vegetables are fresh (not canned, dried or frozen)  Authorize a pilot project of a program allowing SNAP participants to purchase hot and prepared foods and test program feasibility, assess health impact and impact on ability to attain healthful foods in a convenient manner  Reauthorize and ensure funding for SNAP online retail pilot projects  Recommend that the USDA study the feasibility of including evidence-based product-placement strategies and restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy products in SNAP retailer standards  Increase authorized funding levels for The Emergency Food Assistance Program, including for storage and distribution expenses  Eliminate the cost-neutral provision with the TEFAP Commodities Purchasing Program to allow for the purchase of Kosher and Halal foods  Reform food date labeling to standardize quality date and safety date labels and reduce food waste As Mayors, we see each of these priorities as critical to the long-term well-being of our communities. The nutrition portion of the Farm Bill provides critical food assistance to 41 million Americans, more than half of whom are children and seniors. Cuts or changes to the nutrition section of the Farm Bill would result in making it more difficult for millions of people to lift themselves out of poverty. Farm Bill programs reduce hunger, improve access to fresh and healthy food, support local and regional economies, and have lasting effects for health.

In one of the world’s richest nations, no American should ever go hungry. We look forward to working with you and your colleagues in the coming months ahead to strengthen the Farm Bill to help our communities thrive. Thank you for your consideration of these requests.

Sincerely,

Allison Silberberg, Mayor, City of Alexandria, VA Betty Bradley, Mayor, City of Argo, AL , Mayor, City of Austin, TX Aaron Grubbs, Mayor, City of Bakerhill, AL Catherine Pugh, Mayor, City of Baltimore, MD Denny Doyle, Mayor, City of Beaverton, OR Jesse Arreguin, Mayor, City of Berkeley, CA Martin J. Walsh, Mayor, City of , MA Michael Johnson, Mayor, City of Buffalo, WY Rahm Emanuel, Mayor, City of Chicago, IL Patrick Wojahn, Mayor, City of College Park, MD , Mayor, City of Columbus, OH Anthony F. Powell, Mayor, Coosada, AL Nan Whaley, Mayor, City of Dayton, OH Michael Hancock, Mayor, City of , CO Twila Blakeman, Mayor, City of Dubois, WY Scott Reeves, Mayor, City of Hokes Bluff, AL Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Mayor, City of Jackson, MS Gill M. Sorg, Mayor, City of Las Cruces, NM John Landers, Mayor, City of Leighton, AL , Mayor, City of , CA Paul Soglin, Mayor, City of Madison, WI Jacob Frey, Mayor, City of Minneapolis, MN Roger Weatherwax, Mayor, City of Moulton, AL Greg Ballard, Mayor, City of Napier Field, AL Bill de Blasio, Mayor, City of New York, NY Ras Baraka, Mayor, City of Newark, NJ Felix David Fuller, Mayor, City of Oak Hill, AL , Mayor, City of Oakland, CA Frank C. Ortis, Mayor, City of Pembroke Pines, FL William Peduto, Mayor, City of Pittsburgh, PA Adrian Mapp, Mayor, City of Plainfield, NJ Ted Wheeler, Mayor, City of Portland, OR Lovely Warren, Mayor, City of Rochester, NY Mark Farrell, Mayor, City of , CA Pauline Russo Cutter, Mayor, City of San Leandro, CA Lisa M. Gillmor, Mayor, City of Santa Clara, CA Ted Winterer, Mayor, City of Santa Monica, CA Robin Shelton, Mayor, City of Scottsboro, AL Darrio Melton, Mayor, City of Selma, AL Pete Buttigieg, Mayor, City of South Bend, IN Rick Kriseman, Mayor, City of St. Petersburg, FL Michael Tubbs, Mayor, City of Stockton, CA Mark W. Mitchell, Mayor, City of Tempe, AZ Patrick J. Furey, Mayor, City of Torrance, CA , Mayor, Washington, DC Daniel Corona, Mayor, West Wendover, NV

CC: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (NY) Speaker of the House (WI) House Minority Leader (CA)

Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) Senator (AR) Senator John Hoeven (ND) Senator Joni Ernst (IA) Senator Charles Grassley (IA) Senator John Thune (SD) Senator Steve Daines (MT) Senator David Perdue (GA) Senator Deb Fischer (NE) Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS) Senator (VT) Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) Senator Michael Bennet (CO) Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) Senator Joe Donnelly (IN) Senator (ND) Senator Robert P. Casey Jr. (PA) Senator Tina Smith (MN)

Representative Glenn Thompson (PA) Representative (VA) Representative Frank D. Lucas (OK) Representative Steve King (IA) Representative Mike Rogers (AL) Representative Bob Gibbs (OH) Representative Austin Scott (GA) Representative Rick Crawford (AR) Representative Scott Desjarlais (TN) Representative Vicky Hartzler (MO) Representative Jeff Denham (CA) Representative Doug LaMalfa (CA) Representative Rodney Davis (IL) Representative Ted Yoho (FL) Representative Rick Allen (GA) Representative Mike Bost (IL) Representative David Rouzer (NC) Representative Ralph Abraham (LA) Representative Trent Kelly (MS) Representative James Comer (KY) Representative Roger Marshall (KS) Representative Don Bacon (NE) Representative John Faso (NY) Representative Neal Dunn (FL) Representative Jodey Arrington (TX) Representative David Scott (GA) Representative Jim Costa (CA) Representative Timothy J. Walz (MN) Representative Marcia L. Fudge (OH) Representative Jim McGovern (MA) Representative Filemon Vela (TX) Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM) Representative Ann McLane Kuster (NH) Representative Rick Nolan (MN) Representative Cheri Bustos (IL) Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY) Representative Stacy Plaskett (VI) Representative Alma Adams (NC) Representative Dwight Evans (PA) Representative Al Lawson Jr. (FL) Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA) Representative Tom O’Halleran (AZ) Representative Darren Soto (FL) Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE)