Do not let the poor without food
While a Senate group debates the immigration bill today, in another hearing room, another group will make decisions about food assistance for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.
Cuts of billions of dollars to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are estimated to impact more than 800,000 children and 8% of seniors on fixed incomes, according to the Congressional Budget Office and nonprofits dedicated to fighting hunger in New York.
These cuts don’t only adversely impact food assistance for low-income families, which include Latinos. They also undermine long term efforts to reduce povertythe very reason they need this assistance–and help families climb out of it.
Thanks to its Democratic majority, the Senate already allocated funding for SNAP. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) struggled to restore funding last year, and a year later, she continues her fight. But when the House of Representatives had the opportunity to introduce a bill, they couldn’t agree, which delayed help for the neediest.
When both chambers debate the budget cuts, lawmakers will be divided according to their political ideologies, and the ones who will suffer are the people who need help. If the Republicans prevail, between 2 and 4 million people will lose their benefits, and the rest will lose a large part of the help they get today.
This mentality of austerity only benefits partisan interests and the corporate interests with the most lobbying power, jeopardizing the ability of the poor to cover their most basic needs.
Today, millions of people who receive critical aid to survive are putting their futures and those of many others who may need this help in the hands of a group of lawmakers. Community groups must make their voices heard to prevent further cuts to this program and other safety net benefits.
Members of the Senate and the House need to be reminded that we’re paying attention to this issue and expect them to protect the poor, not leave seniors and children hungry at night.
