Over 1,800 US organizations urge lawmakers to protect SNAP amid rising nutrition insecurity

Over 1,800 organizations across US states are urging the House and Senate to protect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and child nutrition programs from cuts. 

They believe SNAP is vital to food security, the health of vulnerable individuals and communities, and economic well-being. 

“SNAP is one of the most effective programs we have to combat poverty-related hunger, improve health outcomes, and boost local economies,” says Crystal FitzSimons, interim president of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). 

“Any cut to benefits or reduced access to participation will have serious consequences for children, older adults, people with disabilities, and those living in rural areas who rely on this support to put food on the table.”

FRAC explains the cuts are part of the budget reconciliation package, yet to be passed, which threatens to cut US$230 billion in cuts from the House Agriculture Committee. It also has jurisdiction over SNAP, and US$330 billion from the House Education and the Workforce Committee, which has jurisdiction over school meals.

This echoes previous critiques that the program cuts enable tax relief for the wealthy and large corporations.

Food banks unequipped

FRAC warns that cutting SNAP would shift the burden of food assistance to local governments and charities, highlighting that SNAP provides nine meals for every meal that a food bank provides.

 The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) previously told Nutrition Insight millions of people will probably turn to food banks and pantries, which cannot handle the demand as seen during COVID-19. 

FRAC warns rural areas and the South face higher food insecurity rates, above national averages, and may face the worst consequences.Vince Hall, Feeding America’s chief government relations officer, says: “While food banks are working hard to keep their shelves stocked for their neighbors, they cannot absorb the large increase in demand that the proposed cuts will create. Many struggle to meet sustained and heightened community needs because of higher food prices and fewer resources.”

Economic and well-being benefits

FRAC says there is evidence that SNAP improves students’ test scores and birth outcomes and lowers health care costs, working with an average benefit of only US$6 per person daily.

It also claims that each dollar on SNAP generates up to US$1.80 in economic activity during downturns. 

“The long-term consequences of food insecurity extend far beyond the dinner table. With so much at stake, lawmakers must reject proposals that would cut, gut, or weaken SNAP and school meals,” says FitzSimons.

“Taking from these programs to give to the richest people and corporations in America is unacceptable. Adopting this budget will leave families and communities struggling for many years to come.”

FRAC warns rural areas and the South face higher food insecurity rates, above national averages, and would face the worst consequences.

“SNAP reduces the likelihood of child obesity, lowers psychological distress, and decreases the need for costly medical treatments. SNAP is linked with reduced health care costs and utilization, such as decreases in emergency room visits — which can decrease Medicaid and other health care spending,” reads the letter.

Furthermore, SNAP would restrict participation in safety net programs, reintroduce needless paperwork, and restrict access to school meals and summer EBT programs.

Speaking with the CSPI, Nutrition Insight previously dived further into examining how SNAP cuts undermine Healthy America goals, risking hunger for children and minority groups. Meanwhile, to make America healthy again, Head of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is tasked with creating a Make Children Healthy Again Strategy. Amid these developments, we also looked at wider implications of SNAP cuts, including how it may be affected by inflation.

According to reports, 80,000 Health and Human Services Department employees who researched diseases and foods and were in charge of Medicare and Medicaid were offered US$25,000 to leave their jobs.