Hot Take - LTE Edition

Sent toThePantagraph.com

SNAP Cuts Hurt FAMILIES

Let me be blunt: cutting SNAP is not just cruel—it’s stupid policy.

SNAP is the single most effective anti-hunger program we’ve got. Nearly 80% of people who use it are kids, seniors, people with disabilities, or veterans. These are our neighbors. Our family. And if Congress guts SNAP, food pantries aren’t going to magically fill the gap. SNAP provides nine meals for every one meal Feeding America’s network serves. You do the math.

At our local food banks, we’ve seen a heartbreaking spike in emergency requests for formula. These aren’t people looking for handouts—they’re parents doing everything they can to keep their babies fed. If you think the answer is “go get a job,” newsflash: most SNAP recipients who can work already do. They just don’t make enough to survive. And those who can’t work—due to caregiving, age, or disability—deserve food and dignity too.

SNAP works. It improves test scores, birth outcomes, and even reduces healthcare costs. And when families can buy food, it puts money back into local businesses. That’s not just compassion—it’s economic common sense.

We don’t need more restrictions. We need leaders with backbone and a heart. Cutting SNAP doesn’t “save money”—it just shifts pain onto the most vulnerable.

We feed people. Not myths. And I expect Congress to do the same.