It's the worst news possible for struggling families: President Trump wants to gut food assistance.
President Trump just proposed a budget that puts 42 million Americans at risk by stripping their access to food.
The single largest program aimed at curbing hunger in America is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The latest budget proposed by President Trump calls for gutting SNAP with one of the largest proposed cuts to the program ever.
But this budget proposal doesn't stop there. The budget also makes cuts to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). This critical program provides food banks with nutritious food from US growers and also helps transport and store the food. But because Congress is only giving TEFAP half its authorized storage funding, farmers are forced to let fresh, nutritious food wither and rot. And now President Trump's budget makes even more cuts to the program.
If Congress approves President Trump's budget, there's one guaranteed outcome: at least 4.5 billion fewer meals to hungry families every year.
Send a message to Congress now -- tell them to reject any attempts to cut federal nutrition programs like SNAP and TEFAP.
Dear Representative/Senator,
As your constituent and a supporter of Feeding America, I'm urging you to stand up for families in need by fighting back against President Trump's proposed budget which cuts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
[Your comment will be added here]
Even though SNAP benefits are not enough to feed a family, they help recipients stretch their grocery budgets and put nutritious meals on the table. This program puts food into the hands of some 42 million Americans, almost half of them under the age of 18. Any cuts to SNAP funding would put millions of families at risk, including tens of thousands here at home.
TEFAP is a critical program that provides food banks with nutritious food from US growers and also helps transport and store the food. The food banks and pantries supported by TEFAP are a big part of how food goes from farm to table. In fact, almost one in five meals distributed by all local hunger-relief agencies in 2016 was moved, stored, and served because of TEFAP. That's four billion meals a year to families in need from the Feeding America network alone
The combined cuts could result in at least 4.5 billion fewer meals to families facing hunger every year. I urge you to oppose any cuts to federal nutrition programs, like SNAP and TEFAP, that will harm families in your community who face hunger.
Thank you,
[Your name]
