John,

Hunger must not be a partisan issue. In the past, Democrats and Republicans in Congress have worked together on the U.S. Farm Bill to ensure SNAP food benefits are available for most low-income people in need. But with right-wing partisans calling the shots in the House, even nutrition programs are under attack.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) feeds nearly one-quarter of all children in the U.S. and reduces hunger by 30%.¹ It is our nation’s most effective anti-hunger program and is the first line of defense against hunger in America.

Despite the fact that more than 44 million people in the U.S. rely on SNAP every month, right-wing partisans in Congress have introduced a draconian $30 billion cut to the program over 10 years.

That’s why the Coalition on Human Needs coordinated a letter, signed by more than 1,400 organizations and delivered to Capitol Hill yesterday, that demands Congress reject cuts to SNAP in the Farm Bill. And this is on top of the tens of thousands of messages that we have sent to Congress, just in the past few days, that fight to defend and strengthen nutrition programs.

These cuts will hurt people needlessly, forcing them to choose between food and air conditioning or heat, making people sicker. Instead of ensuring that children get a good start, their development will be threatened. Older people and people with health problems will not be able to afford the food they need.

Rush a donation today to fight back against attacks on nutrition programs for children, families, older adults, and people with disabilities.

Based on the Congressional Budget Office predictions, a $30 billion cut to SNAP over a decade would mean:²

• An $18 billion cut in benefits to households with children, which would affect 17 million children per month.

• A $9 billion cut to households with children under the age of 5; affecting about 5 million children per month.

• A $5 billion cut to households with adults age 60 and over; affecting 6 million seniors per month.

• A $6 billion cut to households with people with disabilities; affecting 4 million disabled people per month.

• An $11 billion cut to working families and households.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service issued a report showing that despite a 6% funding cut to SNAP in 2023, participation in the program increased by 2%. SNAP participation reached high participation levels not seen since 2017―nearly 13% of U.S. residents were receiving SNAP benefits in an average month.³

Low-income Americans are struggling with lingering high food costs and an expensive housing market. They have few reserves to weather another SNAP benefit cut. Even before last year's cuts, food banks, pantries, and soup kitchens were reporting high demand for assistance. These emergency food providers cannot make up for the scope of this proposed SNAP cut. For every meal that food banks can provide, SNAP provides 9.⁴

The United States is the richest country on earth and the fact that millions of residents go hungry every day while our government continues to slash funding for nutrition programs is a blight on this great nation.

We know that budgets are moral documents. That’s why we fight so hard against cruel cuts to programs families rely on to meet their most basic human needs. Rush a donation of $5 to help us fight back against cuts to SNAP, Meals on Wheels, WIC, resources for food banks, and much more.

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your secure donation will go through immediately:

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ SNAP Is and Remains Our Most Effective Tool to Combat Hunger
² Chair Thompson’s Plan Would Cut SNAP Benefits and Ignore Scientific Evidence in Thrifty Food Plan Updates CBPP analysis of Chair’s proposed cut, CBO’s May 2023 baseline (with CBPP adjustments to account for actual inflation figures for the June 2023 TFP), USDA fiscal year 2020 pre-pandemic SNAP household characteristics data, and USDA fiscal year 2023 SNAP administrative data. Demographic groups are not mutually exclusive.
³ Funding for federal food assistance fell while participation increased, report says
⁴ Why lawmakers must improve SNAP