MAZON Calls Proposal for ‘Department of Health and Public Welfare’ a First Strike

June 21, 2018

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Michelle Stuffmann
Phone: (424) 208-7203
Email: mstuffmann@mazon.org

Los Angeles, CA (June 21, 2018)—In response to the White House’s proposal to consolidate federal safety net programs under a newly named ‘Department of Health and Public Welfare,’ Abby J. Leibman, President & CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, issued the following statement:

“The White House’s desire to reorganize the government to put all safety net programs under a ‘Department of Health and Public Welfare’ is a first strike by conservatives toward achieving their ultimate goal: doing away with safety net programs altogether.

The very few programs that have previously included the word ‘welfare’—a word which Republicans have redefined to harbor suggestive racial undertones—have been cut to the bone. If past is prelude, then lumping every safety net program into this despised category will make it easier for them to decimate those programs, too.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s frontline defense against food insecurity. Indiscriminate changes and a massive bureaucratic shift would jeopardize the health and well-being of tens of millions of Americans who need help putting food on the table.”

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. Learn more about MAZON’s 2018 Farm Bill Priorities and other programs at mazon.org.

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