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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Media Contact:
Andrew Cheyne, California Association of Food Banks
(510) 350-9915, andrew@cafoodbanks.org
House Budget Makes Cruel Cuts to SNAP and Other Safety-Net Programs Will Leave Millions of Poor Californians Below the Poverty Line
Oakland – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a Budget Resolution for the Federal Fiscal Year 2018. If enacted into law, this budget would slash Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (CalFresh in California), the school meals Community Eligibility Provision, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, and other vital social safety-net programs critical to ending hunger and poverty. These sweeping measures will punish millions of California’s most vulnerable residents including children, seniors, people with disabilities and others already dealing with unsustainable housing costs.
The Resolution would set up a process for tax cuts tilted to the wealthy to slash trillions of dollars over ten years from programs that serve people with low and moderate incomes, including cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, income assistance for working-poor and other struggling families, nutrition assistance, college affordability, job training and education, environmental protections, and public health initiatives.
“California food banks oppose any cuts to safety-net programs like SNAP,” said Andrew Cheyne, Director of Government Affairs. “The harsh cuts to SNAP and other vital programs in the House budget will worsen hunger and poverty among the most vulnerable in our community. It’s crucial everyone understands that food banks and other charities could never fill the gap created by these proposals.”
California has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line in the country when the cost of housing is taken into consideration. One in eight households faces food insecurity. “Food insecurity” is the occasional or constant lack of access to the food one needs for a healthy, active life. Food insecurity disproportionately affects children and seniors. One out of every four California kids may go to bed hungry each night.
California Association of Food Banks and its 41 members joined hundreds of national agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and other groups in a letter to the House and Senate Budget and Appropriation chairs and ranking members that urged them to reject the outlined cuts to safety-net programs.
“We urge every California member of Congress to remember their neediest constituents and vote no on any Budget proposal that includes these devastating cuts,” said Cheyne. “Our state is entirely too wealthy to let its residents go hungry.”
CAFB has access to spokespeople from local food banks, and clients, affected by these cuts who are able to speak on this issue.
About California Association of Food Banks
California Association of Food Banks partners with 41 food banks and over 6,000 local agencies. Our mission is to end hunger in California, and our vision is a well-nourished and hunger-free California, where all people have enough food to lead a healthy life. Learn more at www.cafoodbanks.org.
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