Republicans in the House and Senate are proposing to slash more than $230 billion from SNAP and school nutrition programs in order to fund more tax handouts for the wealthy and billion-dollar corporations. But it’s far from a done deal.
SNAP is not only our most effective anti-hunger program, it plays a crucial role in reducing poverty and improving health and economic outcomes. It’s also linked to better education outcomes and self-sufficiency, and plays an important role in supporting rural communities.
SNAP is one of the most cost-effective government programs in existence. Every dollar spent on SNAP generates $1.80 in local communities. Cuts to SNAP and school nutrition programs will have devastating consequences for generations to come.
Individual states currently pay a portion of the cost of administering SNAP, while the federal government pays the actual benefits. Implementing a $230 billion cut could force states to take on a portion of the cost of nutrition benefits for the first time, a radical change in the program that could lead to drastic cuts, increasing wait times for approval for benefits, or put a huge squeeze on states leading to slashed investments in other programs.
Cutting SNAP (and Medicaid, another right-wing target) also makes it harder for eligible families to obtain free or reduced-price school meals, summer food assistance for school-aged children (Summer EBT), and WIC benefits. School meal programs and Summer EBT automatically enroll eligible children using SNAP and Medicaid, while WIC agencies use automated systems to check for SNAP or Medicaid eligibility. In addition, the House Budget Committee has put forth numerous specific budget-cutting proposals, including a $12 billion cut to free school breakfast and lunch programs, affecting 24,000 schools nationwide.
Cutting funding for nutrition programs in order to pay for some of Trump’s $4.5 trillion tax handout―mostly to the wealthy and corporations―is an abomination.
An archive of this webinar is available here.
Child Lead Poisoning: Preventable Harm
A Webinar co-sponsored by the Coalition on Human Needs, First Focus, Children’s Leadership Council, Partnership for America’s Children, MomsRising, and the National Head Start Association
Tuesday, May 3, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET
The lead poisoning of children (and adults) in Flint, Michigan has focused the nation’s attention on the terrible human cost of allowing contamination of our water supply. We have since learned that lead in water affects many communities nationwide, and that lead from paint in older buildings is an even more prevalent source of child poisoning. We have known about this for a long time, and steps to reduce the lead around us in previous decades have dramatically reduced the number of children suffering from lead poisoning. But reduced investments by local, state, and federal governments have slowed our progress and brought preventable harm to more than half a million U.S. children.
This webinar will provide expert evidence about the consequences of lead poisoning in children, examples of work being done in Flint and Philadelphia to stop this scourge, and timely information about Congressional proposals to fund the solutions.
Speakers include:
Dr. Jennifer A. Lowry, MD, a pediatrician and national expert on medical toxicology, including lead poisoning, practicing at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO. She directs the Mid-America Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PESHU) for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 and serves as chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Environmental Health.
Colleen McCauley, Health Policy Director at Public Citizens for Children and Youth in Pennsylvania. She works on child health policies, with special emphasis on low-income and undocumented children in the metro Philadelphia area. Prior to joining PCCY in 2001, Colleen was a nurse and former Assistant Director of the Abbottsford Community Health Center in Philadelphia.
Moderator:
Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs.