President’s budget proposes massive cuts to SNAP

President Trump’s FY18 budget proposal proposes cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $193 billion over the next 10 years, resulting in 45 billion less meals available to those in need. This would be a 25 percent reduction for the nutrition assistance program that helps 1 in 9 Massachusetts residents put healthy food on the table.

What do cuts to SNAP mean for Massachusetts and the state’s food banks?

Cutting SNAP will exacerbate the problem of food insecurity in our state and put more pressure on the emergency food assistance network in Massachusetts.

The average SNAP recipient receives $127 per month or $1.40 per meal in food benefits. For many households, this is not enough. Of the 700,000 residents that receive assistance from the four Massachusetts food banks—The Greater Boston Food Bank, the Worcester County Food Bank, The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and the Merrimack Valley Food Bank—two-thirds already receive SNAP benefits. Many of these people turn to their local food pantries, meal programs, and shelters because their SNAP benefits run out at the end of the month.

With 1 in 10 Massachusetts residents still facing food insecurity, we should be expanding SNAP benefits, not cutting them. Watch a speech Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) delivered on the House floor recently about the proposed cuts to SNAP.

The Greater Boston Food Bank will remain committed to the mission of ending hunger and will work to meet the need in Eastern Massachusetts. However, solving food insecurity requires a strong public-private partnership with private support, state funding, and an effective federal safety net.

What can you do?

The President’s budget would cut SNAP by shifting significant costs to states, restricting eligibility, and reducing benefit amounts.

Please contact your federal legislators, state legislators, or Governor Baker to ask them to speak out against these proposed cuts and support the protection of this critical nutrition assistance program.

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