MAZON Condemns Trump’s Budget Proposal as a “Moral Disgrace”
Abby J. Leibman, president and CEO at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, today issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget proposal:
“President Trump’s budget proposal is a moral disgrace that will hurt tens of millions of low-income families and increase hunger in America. The anti-hunger field has been prepared for disappointment, but this proposal is beyond the pale.
“Massive funding cuts and structural changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are anything but a ‘bold new approach’ for vulnerable children, seniors, rural communities, disabled individuals and veterans in our nation. Slashing this vital and effective program by 25 percent does nothing to help hungry Americans get back on their feet. And shifting how benefits are delivered and imposing arbitrary work requirements—or giving states additional flexibility to enact harsh eligibility requirements—will prevent even more people from putting food on the table each day.
“For years, SNAP has provided a modicum of stability in poor people’s lives, and the President’s budget proposal will only serve to erect new barriers to overcoming poverty.
“This budget represents more magical thinking from this Administration. What we need is real leadership in Congress to work in a bipartisan fashion to pass a Farm Bill that helps people struggling with food insecurity to put food on the table.
“Slashing government assistance programs that help everyday Americans will not help eliminate our country’s deficit. It will not help Americans get back to work. And most importantly, it will bring harm to the millions of Americans who rely on programs like SNAP to survive.”
About MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
Inspired by Jewish values and ideals, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is a national advocacy organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel. In March 2017, MAZON testified before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition about hunger and the future of SNAP. For more information, please visit mazon.org.
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