Events
Policy Briefing
Policy Briefing: Threats to Food and Nutrition Programs in Budget Reconciliation
April 29, 2025 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm PDT
This session is open to members of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders and Grantmakers In Health only. Please register below.
The House and Senate continue to work on a budget reconciliation. On April 10, the House narrowly passed the Senate’s version of a budget blueprint, calling on Congressional committees to slash billions of dollars from programs within their jurisdictions including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), school meal supports like the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), and Medicaid in exchange for tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. The House and Senate will determine the final tax and spending levels by agency and program in committee debates in coming months.
In this session, experts from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) will provide an up to the moment analysis of how federal budget reconciliation impacts food and nutrition programs, the tie into Farm Bill negotiations, and ultimately, what these policy decisions mean for the health and well-being of children, families, and communities across the country. Experts will also highlight how advocates are organizing in support of these crucial programs, FRAC’s advocacy resources, and how funders can support this work.
Please note this session will not be recorded. Notes and key takeaways will be shared with registrants.
Speakers
Colleen Barton, Communications Director, FRAC
Colleen joined FRAC in October 2014, as communications director. In this role, she spearheads the development and implementation of a multi-faceted strategic communications framework to help advance the organization’s mission to end hunger in America
Prior to FRAC, Colleen was the founder and principal of Red Jacket Communications, LLC, a boutique public relations and event firm. Colleen designed and executed strategic communications plans for global and national policy and program initiatives, research reports, brand development, fundraising promotions, product launches, and major events. Her clients included government contractors, small businesses, and international and national nonprofits. In her previous work with nonprofits, including Catholic Charities USA, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and Save the Children, Colleen created and implemented communications efforts that increased awareness, advocacy and greater investment in programs and services aimed at underserved populations. At Save the Children, she built a media program in a newly created public affairs department, and led the U.S. agency’s media response to major humanitarian crises, including post-9/11, the Indian Ocean Tsunami and Haiti Earthquake as well as the agency’s first advocacy-awareness campaign, Every Mother, Every Child and its signature research report, The State of the World’s Mothers.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Homestretch, a nonprofit in Northern Virginia that helps transition families out of homelessness.
Colleen received her B.A. in English, with a public relations concentration, from the State University of New York at Fredonia.
Salaam Bhatti, SNAP Director, FRAC
Salaam joined FRAC in November 2023 as the SNAP Director. In this role, he works to strengthen SNAP access and benefit adequacy. Salaam works closely with the Interim President to develop, lead, and track annual work plans; set and meet unit goals; collaborate with other unit Directors to assist in achieving FRAC’s strategic plan goals; and expand the unit’s innovation and work.
Salaam joins FRAC after working at the Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC). While at VPLC, he successfully lobbied to fully repeal the drug felon ban for SNAP and TANF, twice achieved record increases to TANF cash benefits, subsidized reduced-priced school meals, repealed the TANF family cap, ended lunch shaming policies in schools, and received a unanimous vote to expand SNAP for over 20,000 families. Salaam also helped develop a mobile-friendly, SNAP screening tool which is used by tens of thousands of people & multiple non-profits and has been rolled out to be available for all states and D.C. He received the Young Alumni Achievement Award from Albright College for his work in alleviating poverty and promoting Muslim-Jewish relations. Salaam also received the inaugural Stuart A. Freudberg Award for Regional Partnership for his work with Maryland and DC Hunger Solutions to address food insecurity across the metropolitan Washington area from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
Salaam has a J.D. from Touro Law School, is barred in New York and Virginia, and received his Bachelors in Political Science and International Relations from Albright College (with a year abroad in the University of Aberdeen).
Crystal FitzSimons, Interim President, FRAC
Crystal FitzSimons is the Interim President for the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), leading the organization to achieve its vision: A nation in which all people have the nutritious food they need to lead healthy and productive lives; and mission: To improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions.
Prior to taking on the Interim President role, Crystal oversaw FRAC’s work to improve and strengthen the school, summer, and afterschool nutrition programs. She analyzed policy to advocate for legislative and regulatory improvements to increase children’s access to the child nutrition programs. She helped develop strategy and direct national partnerships and field efforts to achieve program improvements through legislative and administrative changes. Recent successful efforts include the Pandemic and Summer EBT Programs; the child nutrition waivers during the pandemic that allowed schools to offer school meals to all their students at no charge, the nationwide expansion of the Afterschool Meal Program; and the Community Eligibility Provision.
She led FRAC’s efforts to provide technical assistance on the school, summer, and afterschool nutrition programs to national, state, and local partners. Crystal also has helped develop successful partnerships to support increased access to the child nutrition programs including the National Healthy School Meals for All Coalition; Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom, a project with the National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation, the National Education Association Healthy Futures, and the School Nutrition Foundation; and CHAMPS (Cities Combating Hunger through the Afterschool Meal Program and Summer) with the National League of Cities.
Crystal is a sought-out policy expert for briefings, webinars, conferences, and state legislative hearings. She also is regularly quoted in the media, such as The New York Times, NPR, PBS NewsHour, Politico, the Washington Post, USA Today, and local media.
Crystal is the author or co-author of numerous reports. Recent publications include: The Reach of School Breakfast and Lunch During the 2022-2023 School Year; The Case for Healthy School Meals for All; Community Eligibility: the Key to Hunger-Free Schools, School Year 2022-2023; Large School District Report Operating School Nutrition Programs as the Nation Recovers From the Pandemic; and Hunger Doesn’t Take A Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report.
Her previous work experience includes the Center for Community Change and Housing Comes First. She holds a BA in Philosophy and Sociology from Carroll College in Wisconsin and an MSW from Washington University in Missouri.
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