As Congress Comes Back into Session, Rep. Craig Continues Leading Charge to Protect SNAP, Urges Senate to Reject Cuts to Food Assistance
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, as Congress comes back into session following a week-long district work period, U.S. Representative Angie Craig is continuing to lead the charge to protect the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and ensure Minnesota’s kids, seniors, veterans and people with disabilities can put food on the table.
Last month, House Republicans passed a partisan budget bill that cut nearly $290 billion from SNAP – a program that is under the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Agriculture.
As the top Democrat on the Committee, Rep. Craig has been sounding the alarm about potential cuts to SNAP for months, consistently speaking out about the impacts they will have on working families across Minnesota – like her own family, who relied on food assistance at various points during her childhood. Last month, Rep. Craig led a two-day markup during which she and her Democratic colleagues offered amendments to the budget bill, while Republicans were largely absent or silent. She also testified against the bill’s SNAP cuts before the House Committee on Rules during an overnight hearing that lasted more than 21 hours.
“The Republicans’ budget will make America hungrier, poorer and sicker. Parents struggling to afford groceries for their families and seniors living on fixed incomes will have their food taken away if this bill becomes law,” Rep. Craig said in response to House Republicans’ passage of their partisan budget bill. “At a time when grocery prices are going up and retirement accounts are going down, we must protect the basic needs programs that help people afford food and health care.”
“As a mother and someone who needed food assistance at periods in my own childhood, I condemn this attempt to snatch food off our children’s plates to fund tax breaks for large corporations,” Rep. Craig continued. “I call on my Senate colleagues to stop this attack on working Americans that takes food away from families and threatens a full, five-year bipartisan farm bill.”
Below is a timeline of Rep. Craig’s efforts to combat House Republicans’ reckless cuts to SNAP.
- February 12: Craig responds to Republicans’ plan to cut SNAP by $230 billion.
- March 17: Craig writes letter to Speaker Johnson defending SNAP from $230 Billion in cuts, calls for bipartisan farm bill negotiations.
- April 8: Craig slams Republican plan to decimate SNAP at Agriculture Committee hearing.
- April 9: Craig, with other leading Democrats, introduces the Hands off Medicaid and SNAP Act, which would award SNAP benefits the same protection against cuts that Social Security benefits currently receive.
- April 24: Craig convenes stakeholders from municipal, county and state governments warning of the Republican plan to shift SNAP costs onto the states.
- May 7: Craig hosts Capitol Hill press conference with stakeholders, warning of impending SNAP cuts.
- May 12: Craig blasts Republican plan to cut SNAP after the plan – leaked in February – is officially released to the public.
- May 13: Craig publishes op-ed on MinnPost warning of Republican plans to cut SNAP.
- May 13: Craig delivers full-throated speech at budget markup, decrying attempts to cut SNAP.
- May 14: Craig criticizes Republican budget that provides less food for families, more handouts for those at the top.
- May 15: Craig leads House Democrats in offering amendments to protect food assistance programs so they remain available to people who need them.
- May 21: Craig testifies against SNAP cuts at Republican hearing scheduled in the middle of the night.
- May 22: Craig leads top Agriculture Democrats against Republican budget that passes on the House floor.
House Republicans’ budget bill shifts up to 25% of SNAP’s cost share from the federal government to individual states. In Minnesota, the state government would have to fill a $220 million gap in order to ensure that the more than 440,000 Minnesotans who receive food assistance through SNAP are able to stay on the program.
SNAP also helps support Minnesota’s economy. According to the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families $1.2 billion in SNAP benefits have been spent at Minnesota grocery stores, farmers markets and food retailers – generating up to $1.50 in economic activity for every dollar spent.
According to data from the National Grocers Association, SNAP supports 4,099 jobs, $206 million in wages, $18 million in state taxes and had a $616.7 million economic impact on retailers, grocers and supplier industries in the state. According to an analysis by the Center for American Progress, 88 retailers in Minnesota are in danger of closing due to these cuts.
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