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.
Take Action
Subscribe
Donate
Please join The Arc of the United States, Center for American Progress, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, Little Lobbyists, Shriver Center for Poverty Law, and Social Security Works next Tuesday, January 28, from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.. ET for briefing on the Proposed Rule on Continuing Disability Reviews.
January 28, 2020
11:00 am-12:00 pm
385 Russell Senate Office Building
The Trump administration is attacking Social Security and demanding that 2.6 million people with disabilities fill out complex and unnecessary paperwork and cutting benefits. If the administration’s rule is enacted, we’re facing a $2.6 billion cut by 2029 to Social Security benefits for people with disabilities and chronic conditions, including seniors, children, and people with cancer. The administration is increasing the number of onerous continuing disability reviews and resurrecting the playbook of the 1980s when a dramatic increase in random reviews lead to tens of thousands of people losing their lives. These cuts to the Social Security program resulted in a massive outcry from the public and both chambers of Congress and were repealed. As we did back then, we will fight back. Join us to tell the Administration that we will support NO SOCIAL SECURITY CUTS!
Participants: Members of Congress, People with Disabilities, Family Members, Experts on Social Security
The event will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/socialsecurityworks
Please contact rcokley@americanprogress.org with any questions or accessibility needs or concerns.
Promote on Twitter using #NoSocialSecurityCuts
Note from CHN:
You can still comment in opposition to this proposed rule – Deadline: Friday, January 31 at midnight.
Background and simple links to submit comments are here.
