SNAP cuts would hurt the people most in need

Before leaving for its August recess, the House Budget Committee passed its budget resolution for the 2018 fiscal year, putting in danger the safety net programs that are successfully helping the most vulnerable members of our community.

Of the roughly $200 billion in cuts outlined in the resolution, $150 billion will directly affect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP (formerly known as food stamps).

SNAP bridges the gap for people like Debi, who shares her story this way:

“It was an unfortunate confluence of events for us. It started with the housing market tanking, and I was a Realtor. My husband got laid off. He went back to school, and that’s when I got cancer. He had to drop out to be my caregiver. So, all of that together caused us to lose our house and we ended up homeless for a while.

“My cancer is now in full remission, so we’re basically rebuilding and trying to get back to feeling like we’re living a normal life. SNAP and the food bank have taken worry off the table and enabled us to focus on other things. We don’t have to worry about whether we are going to starve. We can focus on how we are going to rebuild our lives and rebuild our careers, and get back on our feet. That’s been very powerful for us.”

 

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By FFLC Executive Director Beverlee Potter for The Register-Guard