“A vote for this bill will result in more kids facing hunger - in every state, in every community, in every zip code,” said Gromley.
Contact: Ryan Flaherty, rflaherty@strength.org
5/12/25, WASHINGTON, DC — This evening, the Republican leadership for the House Agriculture Committee released its portion of the budget reconciliation bill. This proposal is designed to reach $230 billion in cuts to USDA programs, like SNAP, to align with the budget resolution passed last month. The committee has scheduled a markup for May 13. The following is a statement from Jason Gromley, Senior Director for Share Our Strength and its No Kid Hungry campaign:
“The House Agriculture Committee must reject this proposal. Regardless of how Congressional leaders want to frame their proposed cuts to SNAP, the reality is clear: a vote for this bill will result in more kids facing hunger - in every state, in every community, in every zip code.
“Here are three ways this proposal will harm kids and families:
“First, it would cut future SNAP benefits by an estimated $36 billion, making it harder for families to cope with rising food costs. While these cuts wouldn’t take effect immediately, they will limit the ability of SNAP to keep up with the cost of putting food on the table.
“Second, the proposal would put millions of people at risk of losing access to SNAP by, for the first time ever, forcing states to cover millions of dollars in benefits along with a higher share of administrative costs. States already have skin in the game, currently paying 50 percent of the costs to administer SNAP along with penalties for quality control issues, and will be unable to shoulder the additional cost burden without significant cuts to benefits and eligibility.
“And third, it would make it even harder for seniors and parents of children as young as seven to access the food they need by imposing time limits on participation for failure to meet the most onerous SNAP work reporting requirements. This fails to recognize the barriers that caregivers and older adults face in the workforce.
“These cuts aren’t just dangerous and short-sighted. They also represent a missed opportunity for meaningful progress in the fight to end hunger.
“Instead of focusing on improving the lives of the 42 million SNAP recipients - the kids, seniors, veterans and neighbors who are nourished through this program, this proposal is designed only to deliver hundreds of billions of dollars in indiscriminate cuts to our nation’s most effective anti-hunger program.
“Instead of picking partisan fights that will increase hunger in our country, Congress should focus on real ways to improve and strengthen food security: expanding existing programs to encourage families to buy fresh fruits and veggies, cutting red tape for eligible applicants and upgrading technical infrastructure to increase program integrity and protect participants from having their benefits stolen. Through smart investments like these, SNAP could be even more effective at lifting people out of poverty, feeding kids, and supporting local economies, farmers and producers.
“The House Agriculture Committee must reject these proposed cuts.”
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About Share Our Strength
No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.