The COVID-19 crisis revealed what MAZON has known for years: while charity is crucial, only the federal government has the capacity to truly meet the needs of Americans facing hunger. SNAP allows people to get the food they need with dignity to choose how to nourish themselves and their families. SNAP is and always has been our country’s most effective defense against hunger.
Protecting SNAP for all who need it
How MAZON is Protecting SNAP in this Moment
SNAP Recipient Privacy Lawsuit
Following reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently ordered state agencies and private contractors to turn over detailed personal information from recipients of the SNAP, MAZON filed a lawsuit in federal court.
In response to our lawsuit, USDA has paused its demand for the personal data of millions of SNAP recipients. In a sworn declaration, USDA said that the agency had not collected any of the SNAP recipient data in question and would not proceed with its plan to do so without following laws intended to protect privacy and data security,
Jewish Organization Letter
As Congress moves towards cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from federal basic needs programs like SNAP and Medicaid, more than 150 Jewish organizations nationwide wrote to their elected officials expressing their strong opposition to these dangerous proposals.
Interfaith Letter
MAZON and our interfaith partners collected signers for targeted letters to key House members in Arizona, Maine, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. This effort culminated with an in-person delivery to offices on Capitol Hill, urging Members of Congress to oppose cuts to SNAP and Medicaid.
Veteran Organization Letter
MAZON organized national organizations that support and advocate for military service members, veterans, and their families to send a letter urging Congress to reject any budget reconciliation proposal that would result in harmful changes or benefit reductions to SNAP.
By the Numbers
Reject Cruel Budget Cuts to SNAP
Despite rising food prices and economic uncertainty plaguing millions of low-income American families, Republicans in Congress are proposing budget cuts that would hurt most people while extending and expanding tax breaks for businesses and the wealthy. Please join MAZON in calling on Members of Congress to reject cuts to SNAP and other federal nutrition assistance programs.
Urge Congress to Protect Life-Saving Federal Aid
President Trump released a swath of unlawful executive orders and issued a memo directing agencies to withhold approved federal grants, including those that provide assistance to millions of Americans facing food insecurity. The unilateral and unlawful freezing of federal aid — resources that have been provided by Congress — throws support for food security and other anti-poverty programs into jeopardy. While we do not yet know the impact of this policy directive, we know that it is reckless and cruel. It could have truly devastating consequences for Americans of all walks of life. MAZON is activating every tool at our disposal to fight back against this — please join us in calling on every Member of Congress to do the same.
Learn more
Congress Must Increase Funding for SNAP (Washington Post)
Abby J. Leibman, MAZON’s President & CEO, has a letter to the editor in the Washington Post about the Nov. 22 front-page article “Thanksgiving tenacity: ‘They can’t eat a gift card’.” Read More
By The Numbers: COVID-19 and Hunger
Before COVID-19, there were nearly 40 million people facing food insecurity. Now, with skyrocketing unemployment, we expect that there are over 80 million people at risk of hunger, and the numbers are still rising. Read more.
The U.S. Government’s Failed COVID-19 Response Echoes Historic Mistreatment of Native Americans
The U.S. government’s failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating impacts across the country, but perhaps nowhere more than in Indian Country, where the neglect echoes historic mistreatment of Native Americans, experts said in a recent panel event hosted by MAZON. The panel, which coincided with Native American Heritage Month, featured experts in this field and addressed various ways to strengthen food security and food sovereignty in Indian Country. Read more.
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