Since 1961, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—formerly known as food stamps—has provided vital financial help to food-insecure households. Administered by the USDA, it is the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program. But the ongoing government shutdown is making it increasingly likely that starting next week, benefits will stop for more than 42 million Americans, half of them children, who depend on SNAP to help stay fed and healthy.
Please call your members of Congress and demand that a spending bill is passed immediately to protect both the SNAP program, and the WIC program—aka the Special Supplemental Nutrition program, which is only funded through December. Find contact info for your Senators here. Find contact info for your Representative here. (And you have these numbers in your phone contacts down by now!)
Some states have stopped accepting new SNAP applications in anticipation of the November cutoff. Others are scrambling to allocate state funds to food pantries to help them prepare for increased demand—at a time when federal funding for food banks has also been cut to provide trillions in tax breaks to the rich and when billions of dollars are allocated to our bloated military budget.
It’s imperative that Congress pass a spending bill or temporary funding measure to ensure that there is no disruption to the SNAP program. Is it possible? Of course—the Republicans hold majorities in both houses and could pass a bill. Sen. Josh Hawley has filed Senate legislation to do just this.
It’s possible that we will have bipartisan agreement that letting 42 million people go hungry is a bad look for the so-called “richest country in the world.” But not without an outcry from voters. Please call today!
Please call your members of Congress and demand that a spending bill is passed immediately to protect both the SNAP program, and the WIC program—aka the Special Supplemental Nutrition program, which is only funded through December. Find contact info for your Senators here. Find contact info for your Representative here. (And you have these numbers in your phone contacts down by now!)
Some states have stopped accepting new SNAP applications in anticipation of the November cutoff. Others are scrambling to allocate state funds to food pantries to help them prepare for increased demand—at a time when federal funding for food banks has also been cut to provide trillions in tax breaks to the rich and when billions of dollars are allocated to our bloated military budget.
It’s imperative that Congress pass a spending bill or temporary funding measure to ensure that there is no disruption to the SNAP program. Is it possible? Of course—the Republicans hold majorities in both houses and could pass a bill. Sen. Josh Hawley has filed Senate legislation to do just this.
It’s possible that we will have bipartisan agreement that letting 42 million people go hungry is a bad look for the so-called “richest country in the world.” But not without an outcry from voters. Please call today!
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