Statement from Elizabeth McCarthy, President & CEO, Community FoodBank of New Jersey; Fred Wasiak, President & CEO, Food Bank of South Jersey; Triada Stampas, President & CEO, Fulfill; Bernie Flynn, CEO, Mercer Street Friends; and Mark Valli, CEO, Norwescap
As the leaders of New Jersey’s five Feeding America food banks, we have seen up close what happens when Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are cut: when temporary increases to SNAP expired in March of 2023, the number of our neighbors seeking food assistance within our network of food pantries and soup kitchens shot up 30%. The House Agriculture Committee’s budget reconciliation legislation would do much, much worse. We call on our Members of Congress to reject this proposal, which would increase hunger and hardship across our state and country, and we urge all New Jersey residents to join us in calling on Congress not to support cuts or changes to SNAP.
Please call your congressperson and tell them, “Feeding families shouldn’t be up for debate – Save SNAP!”
Across our state – one of the most expensive places in the country to live — families are burdened by high food costs, pain that is felt even more acutely by working class households. In New Jersey, food insecurity has increased by 65% since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 — from about 650,000 neighbors in need to almost 1.1 million, 11.7% of the population.
Now, in the precise moment when the increased costs of essentials are pinching household budgets and food banks’ service numbers are increasing, Congress is aiming to pass legislation that includes historic and devastating cuts to our nation’s first line of defense against food insecurity. With the cost of food out of reach for so many, this program is more important now than ever before. The state’s food banks and our network of more than 1,000 local partners are already operating at full capacity and cannot meet any additional need. In fact, for every meal we provide, SNAP benefits provide nine.
The House Agriculture Committee’s budget reconciliation legislation would harm New Jerseyans by:
- Decreasing Average Daily SNAP Benefits: The current average of $5 per person per day would go down to just under $4, creating more hardship for our neighbors by slashing their already tight grocery budgets.
- Passing Program Costs on to States: This would add a potential $100 million burden to our state’s budget, a cost that New Jersey simply cannot absorb.
- Making Work Requirements More Restrictive: The bill seeks to expand the maximum age for work requirements from 55 to 64 and narrow parent exemptions to only those with children under 7. More adults — including those near retirement age — would need to meet work requirements to stay eligible for SNAP, leading to increased risk of food insecurity for older adults and caregivers of young children.
- Limiting Utility Deductions: Only households with disabled or elderly members would be allowed to deduct utility costs on their SNAP applications. This would ensure fewer SNAP benefits for households with high utility costs, which is especially harmful as New Jersey residents will soon see increases of up to 20% in their average monthly electricity bills.
Consider Anny and her husband, who work low-wage, full-time jobs while caring for their three young children. For their family, SNAP isn’t just assistance; it’s survival. Recently, they had their benefits cut back because they each picked up a few extra hours at work — he as a line cook in a restaurant kitchen and she in a school cafeteria. Under these changes to SNAP, they would see their benefits even further reduced, making it that much harder to provide enough nutritious food for their children.
1 in 10 New Jersey families like Anny’s receive SNAP dollars to supplement their limited incomes. The proposals being debated in Congress would slash billions from this essential lifeline, undermining the very foundation of a program that provides groceries for millions.
The damage doesn’t end with individuals and families; these cuts also represent a direct threat to the local economy. Every $1 in SNAP benefits generates $1.80 in community economic benefit, providing critical stimulus that builds local commercial activity and invigorates our Main Streets and downtowns. The $2.5 billion in SNAP dollars redeemed in New Jersey during the 2023 federal fiscal year contributed as much as $3.8 billion to GDP. While framed as a purely budgetary measure, the impacts of these changes would have far-reaching effects across every sector, hurting retailers, farmers, grocers, schools, local governments, and more.
We are at a critical juncture with very few opportunities left to make your voice heard and oppose these egregious proposed cuts. Please call your congressperson now and urge them not to support cuts or changes to SNAP. Your advocacy and their votes will mean the difference between families putting food on the table or going hungry. Time is running out — stand up and speak out before it’s too late.