WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joined Senate Democrats in sending an open letter to the American public warning that Congressional Republicans are trying to take food away from hungry families in order to give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans. After promising to lower prices for families, Republicans in Congress are instead raising grocery costs and making it harder for families to put food on the table.
The letter comes in response to Republican budget resolutions in the House and Senate, both of which pave the way for deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The House budget would slash at least $230 billion from SNAP over nine years. The Senate version sets a floor of $1 billion in cuts — with no ceiling — leaving the door open for cuts just as extreme.
“This would be a more than 20 percent cut to a program that helps millions of struggling families afford groceries,” the Senators wrote.
The impact in Arizona would be severe. SNAP helped 946,000 Arizonans put food on the table last year, and 70 percent of recipients were children, seniors, or people with disabilities. Under the House budget resolution, Arizona stands to lose $4.9 billion in SNAP benefits over the next decade, or roughly $544 million per year. These cuts would hit working families hardest, especially as grocery prices remain sky-high.
“Congress should not give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans by taking away food assistance from millions of Americans,” wrote the Senators. “SNAP supports 42 million Americans, including nearly 8 million seniors, 16 million children, 4 million people with disabilities, and 1.2 million veterans, in putting food on their tables each month. Cuts of this magnitude—or anything close to it—would be devastating to American families in every state.”
The letter, led by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY), comes as Republicans in the Senate and House have passed a budget resolution that would fast-track cuts to nutrition assistance.
Read the full letter HERE.
4/14/25