As Congress works to finalize the Trump Administration’s economic agenda, basic needs programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid are in danger of being slashed by hundreds of billions of dollars. In response, religious leaders and heads of faith-based organizations are speaking out in opposition to cutting these programs which millions of low-income Americans rely on to make life more affordable.
“Ensuring its citizens’ basic needs is both a fundamental government responsibility and a moral imperative,” said Abby J. Leibman, President & CEO, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. “Slashing food support and assistance for millions of Americans not only strikes at the core of American values that have prevailed in this country for almost 100 years, but also flies in the face of thousands of years of our faith’s teachings. It is our obligation to speak out as some of our leaders turn away from historical and moral imperatives, driving millions into poverty, hunger, and sickness in order to provide more wealth to those in the highest income brackets. The strength, simplicity and efficacy of SNAP illustrates how much our government’s basic needs programs reflect our values and priorities. They must be strengthened and celebrated not eviscerated and destroyed. We are a nation built on supporting our neighbors and lifting each other up. Our faith demands that we act like it.”
“Deuteronomy 15:11 teaches us that ‘There will never cease to be needy ones in [our] land, which is why [G-d] commands us: open your hand to your kin and the needy in your land.’ It is time for this commandment, which has long been a cornerstone of our American system of care, to be reaffirmed by Congress,” said Reuben D. Rotman, President & CEO, Network of Jewish Human Services Agencies. “We urge our Congressional leaders to uphold our shared faith values and oppose any cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, core programs that symbolize our national commitment to strengthening the vulnerable among us.”
“The devastating cuts proposed in the federal budget is not just a political debate, but a moral crisis for America that threatens the lives of millions,” said Sheila Katz, CEO, National Council of Jewish Women. “Medicaid is a lifeline for 70 million people who rely on it for essential health care, including cancer screenings and prenatal care, while SNAP feeds 14 million children who will go hungry without it. As Jews, we are guided by our sacred value of pikuach nefesh — the overriding obligation to save and protect life — a clear and unequivocal responsibility to the sick and hungry. This budget isn’t about fiscal responsibility but about wielding power against our nation’s most vulnerable, directly contradicting our fundamental Jewish obligation to care for those in need.”
“Bread for the World and our supporters are praying that members of Congress protect SNAP from funding cuts and other policies that will increase hunger in the United States,” said Rev. Eugene Cho, President & CEO, Bread for the World. “SNAP is our country’s most important anti-hunger program. Each month, 42 million Americans depend on SNAP to help them afford groceries – of which 40 percent are children. Most people use SNAP only for a short time during periods of crisis and increased need. Jesus teaches us to pray, ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ not only to show our dependence on the Heavenly Father, but also to recognize that He is the one who cares for people experiencing hunger. We encourage everyone to join us in praying for SNAP.”
“Under the guise of eliminating fraud and waste, lawmakers want to take food off our tables and out of the mouths of poor children by cutting SNAP benefits,” said Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould, National Political Director, Faith in Action Network. “I believe that ‘all of God’s children’ are equal and have the right to thrive. The most vulnerable in our families and communities don’t deserve to have their grocery lists determined by policymakers who don’t value their humanity. Cutting SNAP benefits is not being fiscally responsible — it is morally reprehensible and the deliberate failure to love ‘our neighbors as we love ourselves.’ Many of these lawmakers claim to be Christian but apparently would be okay responding to the Creator, ‘When my neighbors were poor and hungry, I took food off their tables and out of their mouths. By cutting SNAP.’”
“As Hindus, we are taught that caring for those in need is not charity — it is a sacred duty,” said Sunita Viswanath, Executive Director, Hindus for Human Rights. “The idea of dāna (generosity), seva (selfless service), and sarvodaya (upliftment of all) lies at the heart of our spiritual tradition. Any attempt to slash life-sustaining programs like SNAP and Medicaid while expanding tax breaks for the wealthy is not only unjust—it is immoral. These policies abandon our collective responsibility to ensure that every person in our society, regardless of income or status, can live with dignity. Hindus for Human Rights stands with the many faith-based voices calling on Congress to protect, not punish, those who are already struggling to survive.”
“Thousands of years of Jewish teachings and communal practices reinforce a special obligation to care for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger — the most vulnerable members of our communities,” said Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. “In the face of obscene cuts to lifesaving programs such as SNAP and Medicaid, we must unequivocally “speak up, judge righteously, and champion the poor and the needy” (Proverbs 31:9). The budget is a moral document. I urge Congress to prioritize the basic needs of vulnerable children and families throughout this budget reconciliation process.”
“Throughout our sacred text, it is undoubtedly clear that God has called us to an abundant life,” said Bishop Julius Trimble, General Secretary of the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church. “Considering this, United Methodists continually affirm that equitable, comprehensive, and quality health care is a basic human right. Draconian cuts to Medicaid at the preference of prioritizing tax cuts for billionaires neglects abundant life. Medicaid is currently available for about 72 million people covering low-income families and seniors in nursing homes. Imposing work requirements that would further restrict access to people who are already struggling to find the care they need neglects abundant life. Budgets balanced on the backs of the poor are an affront to the Gospel.”
“Programs like SNAP and Medicaid have been invaluable tools for helping millions of American families stay healthy in difficult times,” said Amy Spitalnick, CEO, Jewish Council for Public Affairs. “The Jewish community has proudly supported these programs for decades, not just because of our values, but because we know that healthier communities are also stronger and safer communities. The JCPA is deeply opposed to proposed cuts that could leave tens of millions of Americans without vital nutrition and healthcare assistance that they depend on to live.”
“The Sisters of the Good Shepherd and their lay partners-in-mission have long acted as a voice for the children and their families, especially those in vulnerable situations or living on the margins,” said Fran Eskin-Royer, Executive Director of the National Advocay Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. “This work is not just ours. It is the purpose of Congress and our federal government. They must consider the basic needs of those they represent and serve. As they work on the federal budget, our Members of Congress must not cut SNAP or Medicaid. Millions of children have food insecurity and rely on our government’s SNAP benefits. Millions of Americans receive care and security through our Medicaid program. We pray for our Members, and we urge them to make the right decision to put women and children and those in need first.”
“The majority in Congress is proposing a bill that would rob children and families of basic resources for no other reason than to line the pockets of millionaires,” stated Maggie Siddiqi, Senior Fellow at the Interfaith Alliance. “Families should not be denied nutritious meals, access to public schools, basic health care, and more, simply so the ultra-wealthy can pay fewer taxes. I pray Members of Congress will have the courage to stand up for the people they represent, and against the greedy agenda of a select few.”
“The current proposed budget ignores the needs of communities already disenfranchised and marginalized by hunger, poverty, low income, and lack of access to medical care,” said Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson, General Minister & President, United Church of Christ. “I urge the Congress to vote against the budget reconciliation bill that jeopardizes our sacred services for children, including the free school meal program and school health care services. Our mission as the United Church of Christ is to build a “Just world for All”. I pray that members of Congress vote in line with these Christian values of generosity, charity, and love, and oppose this and any legislation that would make it harder for families to put food on the table or bring their children to the doctor.”
”SNAP is a lifeline and a tool of empowerment for many of the communities we serve,” stated Ahmed Shehata, Chief Executive Officer at Islamic Relief USA. At Islamic Relief USA, it is our goal to keep and strengthen policies that give opportunities and alleviate poverty and hunger at all costs.”
“Over and over, the Bible tells us that those with the means to do so are responsible for the basic wellbeing of the poor and powerless, whether through the tithe given to the poor or the “corners of the field” or other means,” said Rabbi Jeremy Schwartz, Treasurer & Executive Committee Member, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. “And, while we are instructed to “rejoice” in our giving, those gifts aren’t voluntary. Please listen to the divine call and see to it that our neighbors have the basic necessities of life through SNAP, Medicaid, and other benefits.”
“Children are blessings that help us see Christ’s love for the world. That is why I cannot support Congress cutting assistance that helps children get enough to eat, see a doctor when they are sick, and meet their basic needs, to pay for tax cuts for corporations and billionaires,” said Rev. Michael Neuroth, Director, United Church of Christ Office of Public Policy & Advocacy. “With Mother’s Day just days away, please honor our hardworking mothers by opposing a reconciliation bill that steals from the poor and gives to the rich.”
Rabbi Deborah Waxman, President and CEO, Reconstructing Judaism said, “Where there is no flour, there is no Torah; where there is no Torah, there is no flour (Pirkei Avot 3:17). When people need to scrape to satisfy their basic needs (no flour), they can hardly pursue higher ideals like equity, democracy and justice (no Torah). But we see that the converse is equally true: When higher ideals are trampled – when famine is induced not by nature but by malicious government policy (no Torah) – it is impossible for people to sustain themselves with safety and dignity.”
“The budget resolution prioritizes the interests of the ultra-wealthy at the expense of everyone,” said Joan F. Neal, Interim Executive Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. “Instead of working on behalf of people struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof overhead, the budget resolution bill will enable the wealthy and corporations to secure over $7 trillion of tax benefits. These will be funded by billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other food programs, housing supports, and more, that keep people alive and healthy. This action takes a wrecking ball to the social safety net that helps everyone in this country, mocks the values of our faith, and will have devastating consequences for families, and communities.”
“As a single mother and person of faith, I am disgusted by this generational moral crisis of a significant magnitude that will impact how many babies, children, working parents, families and seniors will be able to survive and thrive right now and for years to come,” stated Dr. Sabrina E. Dent, Director, BJC Center for Faith, Justice, and Reconciliation. “There was a time in my life when I benefited from life-sustaining programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), WIC, and Medicaid, which helped me take care of my child when I couldn’t do it alone as a single parent. It is a humbling experience to apply for these programs at any stage of life. It is an egregious and cowardly act for Congress to even contemplate a budget that will cut social service programs. Thus, it is our moral obligation to protect children and families along with their dignity by saying NO to these budget cuts.”
“Jewish social justice means taking care of those in our society whose basic needs are not being met,” said Abby Levine, Executive Director, Jewish Social Justice Roundtable. “The Torah tells us to leave the corner of the fields for the poor and the stranger, which is the moral foundation for our modern-day system of benefits for all. As a leader of a national network of 64 Jewish social justice organizations, I urge Congress to fully fund life-saving programs like Medicaid and SNAP.”
“As people of faith, we are called to love our neighbors and help those in need. But this budget reconciliation bill takes from the poor to fund tax cuts for the rich, mass deportation, and the continued militarization of our world,” said Bridget Moix, General Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation. “The drastic cuts it will make to SNAP, Medicaid, and critical clean energy investments would wreck families and our economy. No child should go hungry in the wealthiest country in the world. No family should have to choose between healthcare and food while the rich get richer.”
“As a rabbi and a foster parent, I am deeply troubled by proposed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, which threaten the wellbeing of the youth in my care and our society’s most vulnerable — children, families in poverty, and those already on the brink of crisis,” said Rabbi Melissa Hoffman. “Without these lifelines, more families will face unnecessary hardship and the very real risk of being torn apart. The imperative to protect the poor and preserve the dignity of every person is both a Jewish value and a morally universal responsibility— our government must safeguard these essential benefits for the people who need them most.”