“This Is A $6 A Day Fight”: Rep. Angie Craig Sounds the Alarm on SNAP Cuts and the Future of the Farm Bill

At a time of rising hunger, political instability, and growing pressure on federal safety net programs, Rep. Angie Craig (D–MN) delivered a forceful and deeply personal address at the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference. Speaking as the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, Craig offered a sobering warning: proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other anti-hunger programs threaten to unravel decades of bipartisan work – and could have devastating consequences for families, farmers, and the future of the farm bill itself.

Craig began her remarks by thanking advocates in the room for their service and commitment. “You could be anywhere else this week,” she said. “But you’re here – fighting to keep our communities healthy, safe, and fed. I’m incredibly grateful to be on the front lines with you.” Her voice then shifted into something more urgent, as she outlined the sheer scale of what’s at stake.

In recent weeks, she explained, Republicans have proposed slashing Medicaid by $880 billion and cutting SNAP by at least $230 billion – a move Craig called “insane” and one that could destroy the fragile coalition that has historically allowed farm bills to pass on a bipartisan basis. She warned that such a proposal would not only increase hunger but also severely impact rural economies. In her words, “If you cut SNAP by $230 billion, you’re going to cost family farmers $30 billion. And if you shift that cost to states, the effect is the same – food will be taken away from families in every community in America.”

Craig also noted that Trumps’s recently released budget proposal eliminates the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which currently provides healthy, shelf stable foods to 700,000 seniors each month, and proposes cutting international food aid programs like Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole, programs that support both global food security and American farmers. “These aren’t just abstract policy moves,” she said. “They represent real consequences for people who are already struggling – seniors, veterans, kids, working parents – and for farmers who are already being squeezed by tariffs, low prices, and disappearing markets.”

Her speech was punctuated with personal testimony. “I was raised in a mobile home park,” she said. “There were times my mother relied on food assistance to keep food on the table for me and my brother and sister. She worked hard. She went to school at night for nine years to get her teaching degree. She gave us everything we needed – with just a little help from our government.” That help, she emphasized, was modest: an average of $6 a day per person – or $2 per meal. But it made all the difference. “SNAP is a lifeline,” she said. “It helps children learn, helps seniors live independently, helps veterans adjust to civilian life, and drives local economies. In rural communities, every SNAP dollar generates nearly $1.80 in economic activity.”

Craig has represented a politically divided district in Minnesota since 2018, one she described as “about one-third Democrat, one-third Republican, and one-third people who don’t like either party.” She credits her electoral success in part to her willingness to show up in rural areas, to speak directly to concerns that transcend partisanship. “I don’t stay in my lane very well,” she said, laughing. “But that’s exactly what it takes. We’ve got to get out of our bubble and talk to folks again.”

Her emphasis on coalition building extended beyond voters to the farm bill itself. Craig warned that if Republicans continue to push deep cuts to nutrition programs through reconciliation, they risk blowing up the traditional farm bill coalition – a fragile but essential alliance between agriculture groups and anti-hunger advocates. “If you lose that coalition,” she said, “we may never pass another five year farm bill again. The stakes couldn’t be higher.”

In a panel discussion following her keynote, Craig offered candid insights into the political dynamics on Capitol Hill. She described a growing disconnect between what some of her Republican colleagues say in private – expressing concerns about SNAP and Medicaid cuts – and how they vote in public. “They’re scared of their own constituents,” she said. “They’re running scared because they know these policies are deeply unpopular, and they don’t want to be held accountable.”

One audience member asked Craig how advocates could help persuade lawmakers in rural districts to stand up against the proposed cuts. Craig encouraged them to frame their messaging around economic impact. “Talk about how these programs support local farmers, truck drivers, food processors, grocery clerks,” she said. “Talk about the supply chain. SNAP doesn’t just help the person receiving the benefit – it supports the whole community.”

She also pushed back on the idea – common among moderate Democrats and Hill staffers – that the Senate will fix whatever damage the House does in reconciliation. “Don’t let anyone tell you it’s all going to be fine,” she said. “The House wants to cut SNAP by $230 billion. The Senate wants to cut by $1 billion. That’s a huge gap – and there’s no guarantee we’ll land anywhere near the Senate number. The fight is happening right now, in the House. And we need to stop pretending someone else will clean up the mess.”

Craig closed the session with a mix of grit and humor. She reacted to moderator Ellen Teller of FRAC, telling the room of advocates that “members of Congress are like toddlers – if you don’t hold their hand while crossing the street, they’ll run into traffic.” The crowd had laughed, but Craig didn’t pull back from the metaphor. “We need to keep holding their hands – every step of the way. Because this is not a one and done fight. Reconciliation will unfold over months, and we need to be ready at every turn.”

That message – of persistence, of accountability, of personal commitment – echoed her own story and the story of so many families she represents. “I wouldn’t be here if my mom hadn’t gotten a little help,” Craig said. “And I refuse to sit quietly while others try to take that help away from the next generation.”

As the session ended, advocates filed out of the room, many holding signs that read “$6 a Day” – a reference to the average daily SNAP benefit. Craig smiled and nodded. “Let’s make sure every hallway on Capitol Hill sees that number this week,” she said. “Because hunger in America is not an inevitability – it’s a policy choice. And we can choose differently.”