FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jessica Manly, Communications and Digital Advocacy Director
National Young Farmers Coalition
press@youngfarmers.org, 518-643-3564 ext. 722
Washington, D.C. (July 4, 2025) — The National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) is sounding the alarm on the House-passed budget reconciliation bill (Public Law No. 119-21), warning that its sweeping cuts to federal nutrition, health, and education programs—alongside increased immigration enforcement—would devastate farm businesses, destabilize rural communities, and block pathways into agriculture for a new generation of farmers.
Passed by the House on July 3, 2025, the bill includes $186 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and child nutrition programs, $863 billion from Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies, and $350 billion from student loan programs and Pell Grants. The bill also expands subsidies for large-scale commodity producers while failing to support small and diversified farms.
“These cuts are a direct attack on the people who feed our communities,” said David Howard, Policy Development Director of the National Young Farmers Coalition. “Programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and Pell Grants don’t just support individuals—they keep small farms in business, help farmers stay healthy, and make it possible for them to learn and grow. Slashing these programs undermines the resilience of our entire food system.”
Key Threats in the House Reconciliation Bill
Cuts to SNAP and Child Nutrition Programs – Nearly $186 Billion
- Over 6 million people would lose access to food assistance
- Reduced access to free school meals would worsen child hunger nationwide
- SNAP supports both families and farmers, driving local food purchases and providing consistent demand for small-scale producers
“Accepting SNAP is essential. It makes our produce accessible and supports our business,” said Kaitlyn Kimball of Sunset Farm in Connecticut.
Cuts to Medicaid and the ACA – At Least $880 Billion
- States would be forced to reduce coverage or drop millions—including farmers and farmworkers—from health insurance
- In the Coalition’s 2022 National Young Farmer Survey, 79% of respondents identified the cost of health care as a major barrier to staying in farming
Cuts to Student Aid – At Least $350 Billion
- An estimated 3 million Pell Grant recipients would see award reductions of up to $1,480 per year, including over 1 million community college students
- These cuts would increase the total cost of a bachelor’s degree by $7,400 and an associate degree by $3,700
- Young farmers already burdened by debt will face tougher choices between repayment and reinvestment in their farm operations
Expanded Immigration Enforcement– At Least $171 billion
- The bill escalates enforcement actions on farms, threatening the livelihoods of immigrant farmers and farmworkers.
“Escalating immigration enforcement—especially ICE raids on farms—is not only displacing skilled, experienced farmworkers, it’s destabilizing entire farm operations,” said Yahaira Caceres, Government Relations Manager at the Coalition. “Farmers rely on these workers to keep their businesses running and food on our tables.”
Commodity Subsidy Increases Without Equity & Undermines the Farm Bill Process
- The bill increases support for large commodity producers while leaving out small, diversified, and BIPOC farmers, further exacerbating inequities in federal farm support.
- The bill raises reference prices for commodity crops (e.g. wheat, soy, corn), allows up to 30 million additional acres to be eligible, and caps subsidies at $155,000 per producer per year
- By advancing major changes through reconciliation, the bill sidesteps the democratic process of writing a comprehensive, bipartisan Farm Bill that supports farmers and families alike.
“I am deeply concerned about the future of the farm safety net… Congress has an opportunity to use its power to help new farmers enter and stay in agriculture for generations,” said Sedrick Rowe, a young Georgia farmer who testified before Congress this spring.
Coalition Urges Congress to Prioritize a Just Farm Bill
“This bill jeopardizes everything young farmers have worked for,” said Erin Foster West, Policy Director at the National Young Farmers Coalition. “Instead of investing in land access, climate resilience, and equitable support systems, Congress is advancing a deeply harmful agenda that leaves small farms behind. We need a Farm Bill that supports all farmers—not just the biggest players.”
The National Young Farmers Coalition is calling on Congress to reject any farm bill that doesn’t address the harm from the reconciliation package and return focus to the passage of a full Farm Bill that invests in resilience, and access to land and capital for the next generation of farmers.
“We cannot build a resilient food system by cutting very programs and forgoing the Farm Bill process that makes it possible for farmers to grow food and for families to access it,” added Vanessa Garcia Polanco, Government Relations Director at Young Farmers. “All farmers deserve the tools to succeed, and all communities deserve access to nutritious food. A comprehensive Farm Bill is the best way too to safeguard the future of agriculture and the next generation of farmers.”