skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Palestinian Ambassador calls on the UN to stop Israeli attacks. Impacts continue from agency funding cuts and state bills mirror federal pushback on DEI programs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Palestinian Ambassador calls on U.N. to stop Israeli attacks. Impacts continue from agency funding cuts, and state bills mirror federal pushback on DEI programs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Cuts to Medicaid and frozen funding for broadband are both likely to have a negative impact on rural healthcare, which is already struggling. Plus, lawsuits over the mass firing of federal workers have huge implications for public lands.

A focus on the Farm Bill for Latino Advocacy Week in D.C.

play audio
Play

Friday, May 24, 2024   

It's Latino Advocacy Week in Washington, D.C., and leaders in the Hispanic community are pushing for improvements in the upcoming Farm Bill.

The group met with the Chamber of Commerce, and with members of Congress, culminating with an event at the White House.

Hispanic Access Foundation climate manager Hilda Berganza said it will be crucial to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, known as Cal Fresh in California and formerly known as food stamps.

"As of 2024, 32% of those applying for SNAP are actually in rural areas," she said, "which is a big shift from what we've seen in the last few years - where it's usually within the cities, especially with the cost of living going up everywhere."

The $1.5 trillion version of the Farm Bill being promoted by House Republicans, which is currently being heard in committee, would slash $30 billion from SNAP over the next 10 years. Funding for SNAP and other nutrition programs makes up 80% of the Farm Bill. When it's finalized, the Farm Bill will cover the next five years.

Berganza said 78% of people working in the agriculture industry are Latino, and climate change is making their jobs much harder.

"We want to make sure that we promote climate-smart agricultural initiatives," she said, "and the Farm Bill Risk Management Program to ensure financial security for farmers facing extreme weather, including droughts, floods and heat waves."

Advocates are also asking lawmakers to prioritize the Conservation Stewardship and Environmental Quality Incentives programs, both of which integrate land and wildlife habitat conservation into farming practices to support biodiversity and a more sustainable agriculture system.

Disclosure: Hispanic Access Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Environment, Human Rights/Racial Justice, Livable Wages/Working Families. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Nationally, veterans are 1.5 times more likely to die by suicide than are nonveteran adults, with an average of almost 18 veteran suicides per day in 2021. (flysnow/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan is home to more than 470,000 veterans, yet many have never accessed the military benefits to which they are entitled. The gap in support …


Health and Wellness

play sound

By Ramona Schindelheim for WorkingNation.Broadcast version by Isobel Charle for Oregon News Service reporting for the WorkingNation-Public News Servic…

Social Issues

play sound

An Illinois documentary takes a deep dive into the Illinois Prisoner Review Board and the politics that influence its decision-making through one man'…


As of November 2024, the U.S. Postal Service employed more than 7,000 people in Kentucky. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is joining forces with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency to cut costs at the Postal Service, this week …

Environment

play sound

For decades to come, South Dakotans can make use of an expanded wilderness in the southeastern part of the state, as a new land deal will keep …

Research shows students' sense of belonging improves academic outcomes, increases continuing enrollment in school and is protective for mental health. (Monkey Business/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As the immigration debate continues, many children of immigrants in Texas who are American citizens are caught in the middle. An elementary school …

Social Issues

play sound

Coloradans with low bank balances would be on the hook for an extra $225 a year if Congress votes to roll back a new rule capping overdraft fees at $5…

play sound

By Ramona Schindelheim for WorkingNation.Broadcast version by Mark Richardson for Virginia News Connection reporting for the WorkingNation-Public News…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021