I write to you today with a sense of urgent moral and constitutional responsibility. It is unconscionable—and un-American—that in the richest nation on earth we are allowing our seniors, children, and disabled citizens to go hungry while adequate funds exist. Therefore I demand that you fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) immediately.
1. The Legal and Judicial Obligation
A federal judge in Rhode Island has ordered the administration to “find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November”, rejecting a plan to provide only partial payments.
In short, the courts have said you must act; ignoring that order is not an option.
2. The Human Cost
• SNAP serves an average of 41.7 million people per month.
• About 39 % of SNAP participants are children.
• Nearly 10 % are non-elderly individuals with a disability.
• Many households are at or below the federal poverty line: 73 % of SNAP households have gross monthly incomes at or below 100 % of the federal poverty level.
Allowing such vulnerable Americans to face hunger is a moral failure and undermines the basic values of dignity and fairness.
3. The Fiscal and Practical Case
• Federal spending on SNAP in FY 2024 was around $99.8 billion and the average monthly benefit was about $187.20 per participant.
• SNAP is not an optional safety net—it is explicitly designed to “increase the food-purchasing power of eligible low-income households to help them buy a nutritionally adequate low-cost diet.”
• The program is cost-effective: every dollar invested not only helps feed people, but stimulates economic activity.
Given this, failure to fund SNAP is neither justified nor excusable in the current context.
4. Why Delays or Cuts Are Not Acceptable
• The courts found that the administration’s plan to only partially fund the benefits, or delay them for weeks or months, was unacceptable.
• A recent article states that the program is facing interruption for the first time in history, with seniors and people with disabilities among those at risk.
• Cuts to SNAP primarily harm the most vulnerable—children, seniors, disabled—rather than address root causes.
5. Your Responsibilities
As the President and as Members of Congress, you have a solemn duty:
• To uphold the rule of law—including court orders that require full funding of SNAP.
• To ensure that no American—especially children, seniors, or persons with disabilities—faces hunger due to inadequate government action.
• To allocate sufficient appropriations and contingency funds so that SNAP benefits are delivered on time and in full.
• To reject proposals that unduly restrict or delay benefits for vulnerable populations under the guise of budget savings.
Making children, the disabled, and seniors starve—or face the threat of starvation—is deeply un-American. It betrays a nation founded on principles of liberty, justice, and charity. You have the power and the obligation to act. The money exists. The legal mandate exists. The human need is critical.
I urge you: do not delay. Do not negotiate the hunger of the vulnerable as a bargaining chip. Fund SNAP fully now.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your response and action.
Sign Petition
