Advocates Call on Rep. Kiggans to Oppose Harmful Cuts to Essential Food Program
Virginia Beach, Va. – In response to the Republicans on the Agriculture Committee voting unanimously to include $30 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as part of the Farm Bill, Affordable Virginia is now calling on Rep. Jen Kiggans to oppose these harmful cuts as the bill makes its way through the legislative process.
“Rep. Kiggans ran on a promise to stand up for working families, and we need her to keep that promise by opposing these harmful cuts,” said Emily Yeatts, Campaign Director for Affordable Virginia. “These cuts will destabilize the lives of working families around the country and across the district. Rep. Kiggans needs to listen to her constituents and oppose cuts to resources so many families and children rely on.”
Background on SNAP Cuts
During the markup period, where the House Agriculture Committee negotiated provisions and amendments in the spending bill, multiple Republican members argued that SNAP had become too expensive and that the program was being abused by people who treated the assistance as a “lifestyle.” This is despite strong evidence to refute this claim.
Republicans inevitably passed a bill out of committee that would repeal a provision from the bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill – which was signed by President Trump – that required the Thrifty Food Plan to be re-evaluated every five years. Without the provision, the update to SNAP benefits would be reversed back nearly 50 years.
This food plan would force families to rely on outdated food cost estimates based on diets and budgets from nearly half a century ago. Eventually, the Republicans’ plan will cost the families that receive food assistance nearly a month's worth of food per year and cut $580 million in SNAP funding for the Commonwealth over the next ten years.
Rep. Jen Kiggans’ history of voting to restrict access to food assistance
Rep. Kiggans has voted twice before to cut funding for WIC and voted to restrict access to SNAP. “Rep. Kiggans needs to take a look at her district and recognize the immense harm she will cause by voting for cuts to SNAP,” said Yeatts “We are calling on her to oppose these cuts to these essential programs; otherwise, the 26,526 households who receive SNAP across this district are looking at the very real possibility of going hungry.”
Food Insecurity on the Rise
According to the Urban Institute, these cuts could not come at a worse time. “In 2022, we saw a substantial spike in food insecurity in response to unprecedented food price inflation that coincided with the end of several temporarily expanded social safety net programs, including the expanded child tax credits and universal free school meals,” the organization said in a report posted to their website. “Last year, food insecurity increased again. Even though food price inflation slowed, household budgets remained tight. Moreover, the loss of the SNAP emergency allotments last March meant families in 35 states suddenly had fewer resources to buy food.”
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