Attributed to Matt Knott, President of Feeding America
“Today, the White House released its fiscal year 2019 budget proposal, unveiling a plan that charts a dangerous course for our most vulnerable by putting programs that provide stability and opportunity at great risk.
“Specifically, the budget includes proposals that seek to take food away from millions of individuals and families by implementing structural changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that would slash its funding by $213 billion over ten years – a reduction of nearly one-third. The changes also undermine the basic dignity that comes from allowing SNAP recipients to shop for groceries like anyone else.
“Feeding America provides more than four billion meals annually—a number that pales in comparison to the food assistance provided through SNAP, which serves 12 meals for every one meal provided through the Feeding America network of food banks. As such, SNAP is a cornerstone nutrition program in our country, and the nation’s 200 food banks and 60,000 pantries and other meal programs simply cannot make up for the lost meals that would result from these program changes.
“The budget would also inexplicably eliminate the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), which each month provides nutritious USDA foods to supplement the diets of more than 728,000 lower income Americans age 60 and over. Taking food away from low income seniors is simply unacceptable; it is our responsibility to care for seniors in our community with respect, not dismantle their support systems.
“These and other deep cuts to federal nutrition programs are not proposed in a vacuum, and when coupled with proposed reductions in housing, health care and income assistance programs, would have a devastating effect on food insecure individuals and families.”