1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

Republicans have repeatedly claimed that slashing social safety net programs like SNAP will improve the nation's financial wellbeing. However, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has released a new analysis of H.R. 1 that estimates the bill will increase budget deficits by $2.4 trillion to finance trillions in tax cuts for the wealthy. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also referred to as food stamps) is the nation's biggest food assistance program, serving 42 million Americans each month, two thirds of whom are in households with children. The House-approved budget reconciliation bill, H.R. 1, finances tax cuts for the ultra-rich by slashing funding for essential social safety net programs, including $290 billion in SNAP funding. H.R. 1 not only proposes cutting federal SNAP funding by about 30%—the largest food assistance cut in history-but also increases work requirements for SNAP participants. The Urban Institute estimates that these expanded work requirements could cause up to 5 million families to lose some or all of their monthly benefits. Research on SNAP work requirements has repeatedly shown that these requirements do not increase employment, but instead reduce program enrollment and remove a crucial safety net for struggling families. Receiving SNAP benefits is associated with a range of positive outcomes, from reduced incidence of child abuse to better health outcomes and lower health care spending. H.R. 1's proposed SNAP cuts will cause untold suffering, increase food insecurity, and force further cuts to SNAP benefits at the state level. I urge you to oppose the unprecedented SNAP cuts and expansion of SNAP work requirements included in H.R.1. SNAP is not a handout, it's a hand up for people, especially children, who are suffering from poverty and hunger.