[ [link removed] ]Tell Congress to stop trying to take food assistance away from
struggling families.
Dear fellow MoveOn member,
My name is Ruth. I’m a single mother in New Jersey, and I am writing to
ask for your support as Republicans in Congress try to slash the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as "food
stamps," which is a lifeline for myself and my three children.
I’ve been working more overtime since March because Congress cut back on
SNAP benefits that were expanded during the COVID pandemic. The $17 an
hour I make at my 40-hour-a-week job is often not enough to pay for rent,
monthly bills, and food costs. Yet we still live paycheck to paycheck.
SNAP has been a critical supplement to just make sure I can feed my kids
healthy meals.
Families across the country struggle to put food on the table—that
includes countless families with working parents—and it’s been even harder
for millions since the pandemic-related boost ended in March. Sign the
petition to tell Congress to keep their hands off SNAP!
[2]Sign Ruth's petition
A member survey by the advocacy organization ParentsTogether Action found
that 44% of parents can’t afford enough food for their families, and 37%
of parents reported skipping meals so their kids could eat. More than half
of those surveyed said that they now rely on food banks or similar
services.^1
It’s frustrating to hear Republicans say they’ll let the U.S. default on
its debt and stop paying bills unless Democrats agree to their budget cuts
that will slash lifesaving programs, when I know corporations and
billionaires are not paying their fair share.^2
Congress must strengthen SNAP benefits and stop these political attacks
against this lifesaving program. It’s unconscionable to cut funding and
increase barriers to access by imposing work requirements, time limits,
and proposals to exclude millions from eligibility.
[ [link removed] ]Add your name to tell Congress to stop playing politics with families’
ability to put food on the table.
As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities points out, “Justifications
for work requirements rest on the false assumptions that people who
receive benefits do not work and must be compelled to do so. These
assumptions are rooted in stereotypes based on race, gender, disability
status, and class. They ignore the realities of the low-paid labor market,
the lack of child care and paid sick and family leave, how health and
disability issues and the need to care for family members affect people’s
lives, and ongoing labor market discrimination.”^3
Food is necessary for survival—and that doesn’t change whether someone
lives in a red state or a blue state. We need to be able to rely on
Congress to work for all of us.
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition to tell Congress to keep their hands off SNAP.
Thank you.
–Ruth Rodriquez and ParentsTogether Action
Sources:
1. "'I don't have anything in my refrigerator': GOP debt ceiling plan
would cut SNAP benefits," USA Today, May 9, 2023
[link removed]
2. "Inside McCarthy’s controversial plan to shrink food aid," Politico,
April 19, 2023
[link removed]
3. "House Republicans’ Proposals Could Take Food Away From Millions of
Low-Income Individuals and Families,"
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, March 20, 2023
[link removed]
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