Increasing hunger is a policy choice. The Big Ugly Bill already imposed the largest SNAP cut in the program’s history, and now, with the shutdown, millions more are at risk of losing access to the nutrition program when funding is depleted in two weeks.
The administration can―and must―take steps to protect SNAP benefits. SNAP running out of money would be catastrophic. Nearly 1 in 8 people, including 16 million children and 8 million people with disabilities, would go without the food assistance they need.
Two-thirds of the money needed to partially fund another month is in SNAP’s contingency fund, which must be used when regular funding falls short. The contingency fund has $6 billion, which is still short of the $8 billion needed to fully fund SNAP recipients per month. The administration can use other measures to ensure families get full November benefits―and they must act ASAP to give states guidance and enough time to get families the help they need to put food on the table.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration, via the United States Department of Agriculture, moved $300 million to WIC, the nutrition program that serves women, infants, and children. It’s time for the administration to do the same for SNAP, by tapping funds that are allowed by law to be used for this purpose.
Take Action
Subscribe
Donate
Congress is setting state policymakers up to face incredibly hard decisions about everything from health care cuts, deciding who should go hungry, and supporting their rural communities.
Recent developments on Capitol Hill—and sweeping executive actions since President Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025—could potentially reshape funding for children’s health, education, and economic security across our states.
Vouchers defund public schools and provide financial assistance to small numbers of students at the expense of the 90% of children who attend public schools.
The proposals by Republican members of Congress will make billionaires wealthier by taking away health care and nutrition support from millions of Americans, including constituents in their districts.
The Coalition on Human Needs strongly urge members of the House of Representatives to vote NO on the FY 2025 Budget Resolution. These cuts are not savings – they would impose huge costs to communities nationwide.
Census Bureau’s upcoming privacy protection decisions, while crucial, risk undermining accurate child poverty data, potentially harming funding for critical programs and disproportionately affecting rural and minority communities.
The Republican-controlled House Budget Committee proposed a $12 billion in cuts to school breakfast and lunch, which would impact 24,000 schools and 12 million children across the country.
Steps have been taken in the House and Senate to shift the nation’s wealth from everyday people to billionaires. We can and must block their dangerous path.
I’m disabled and want to work. But if I earn “too much” — even if it’s not enough to live on — I’ll lose benefits. That’s not how it should be.
Trump’s order criticizes these diversity, equity, and inclusion plans, labeling them as “immense public waste and shameful discrimination.” However, the reality of these efforts is far from what the executive order suggests.
Homelessness has risen sharply since 2023, new data show. The research is clear: rental assistance promotes housing stability and is key to solving homelessness.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is essential to protect ordinary people from unfair, deceptive, and abusive financial practices