Anti-Hunger Advocates Implore USDA to Take Immediate Action Ahead of Imminent SNAP Cliff
As 42 million Americans nervously wait to see if they will be able to put food on the table tomorrow, anti-hunger advocates and policy experts are uniting in a call for the Trump administration to take immediate steps to preserve the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the ongoing government shutdown. MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger led a SNAP Day of Action earlier this week, urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to release contingency funds and use their transfer authority to keep benefits flowing.
As part of the Day of Action, MAZON led a briefing featuring Rep. Jahana Hayes (CT-5th), Ranking Member of the U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture, and numerous leading anti-hunger organizations. During the briefing, MAZON President & CEO Abby J. Leibman stated:
“This is a catastrophe that did not have to happen. This weekend, millions of Americans will be devastated. All because the Secretary of Agriculture has decided not to use the funds that are available to stop this crisis. What we are now facing is a perfect storm of hostility to people who struggle, and the destruction of the programs that would have helped them. We have never seen our government turn on its people this way. Flipping the switch overnight is just reprehensible. This didn’t have to happen. It doesn’t have to happen. We have an obligation to one another. We do not ignore people when they are struggling. It is our place to step in where they need help.”
During her remarks, Congresswoman Hayes added:
“In the United States of America, in 2025, we should not be having a conversation about refusing to release funds that hungry people are relying on…. It’s very important that people understand that there is no way that private organizations, that churches, that food pantries, can ever fill the gap that is created by the loss of SNAP benefits. So many families rely on this. It is the most effective anti-hunger program we have.”
Policy experts and direct service providers alike spoke about the fear, anger, stress, and frustration of families, grocers, frontline workers, educators, healthcare professionals, and more. Mary Greene Trottier, Director of the National Association of Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations (NAFDPIR) and a member of the Spirit Lake Sioux Nation, addressed the acute pain felt in Indian Country:
“There is an unfair burden on Tribal food programs that are already stretched way too thin. Tribes are left to manage the higher food requests with no additional funding. We have asked for relief with resources, but there is simply nobody there to answer the call. Hunger isn’t paused when the government is shut down. Every shutdown is a reminder that history repeats itself and food is essential —- not optional.”
SNAP is the most extensive and effective anti-hunger program in America. It helps people afford groceries, puts healthy food within reach, and strengthens local economies. USDA has the legal authority and funding to ensure SNAP benefits continue, with the contingency fund created for moments like this to prevent hunger when politics get in the way.
Lauren Bauer, Associate Director of The Hamilton Project of the Brookings Institute, discussed the confluence of this SNAP crisis and the first major changes from this summer’s Republican budget cuts going into effect:
“At a time of significant uncertainty about the direction of the economy, starting on November 1st, many more people will become subject to SNAP’s time limit work requirements. Up until now, SNAP has provided much-needed relief to families, and the federal government has paid out those benefits on time. And, up until now, as an economic stabilizer, SNAP benefits have served as crucial, well-targeted, and timely economic stimulus. Not providing benefits to participating families next month is seemingly unlawful, it’s bad for the economy, and it is certainly unfair to families in need.”
Additional speakers joined from the North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry, MomsRising, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), UnidosUS, Share Our Strength, and the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). This press call was held in conjunction with a SNAP Day of Action, with a broad array of organizations and advocates urging Congress and USDA to keep benefits flowing to those in need.