Proposed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid would increase hunger and hardship for millions.
The Greater Chicago Food Depository is gravely concerned about the catastrophic implications the proposed federal spending cuts passed Tuesday by the U.S. House of Representatives will have on millions of households facing food insecurity.
The budget resolution includes a potential $1.1 trillion combined reduction of critical federal safety net programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, and Medicaid.
Requirements for the House Agriculture Committee to slash $230 billion of spending across its programs over 10 years are expected to come largely or entirely from SNAP. As the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program, this would be disastrous for the more than one million families in Illinois who depend on the program to afford groceries, particularly during current times of elevated food prices. Reducing SNAP benefits will plunge even more households into food insecurity, causing demand on food banks and pantries to multiply as families struggle to afford their basic needs.
Similarly, requiring the House Energy and Commerce Committee to decrease spending by $880 billion over the next decade will most certainly lead to harmful cuts to Medicaid. Approximately 3.4 million Illinois residents get their health insurance through Medicaid, and losing this coverage will leave families having to make the impossible choice between going to the doctors and paying for food.
Together, SNAP and Medicaid alleviate hunger, improve health and provide crucial support for the overall well-being of households with children, older adults or people with disabilities. We urge Congress to think about the profound impact these spending cuts will have on the availability and accessibility of essential services for many individuals and families and to put a stop to these potential cuts immediately.
The Food Depository believes that food and healthcare are human rights. We invite anyone who shares this belief to join our advocacy efforts at chicagosfoodbank.org/advocacy
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