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PROVIDENCE, RI – U.S. Senator Jack Reed today joined with faith leaders and hunger prevention advocates at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank to demand action against a House Republican-passed tax bill that will make the largest cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in American history.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a 1,000+ page bill to take nutrition assistance from the needy in order to give billionaires a bigger tax windfall. Their so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” includes nearly $300 billion in cuts targeting SNAP, which helps millions of working families and low-income seniors afford groceries. 

With over $85 million in annual nutrition assistance for Rhode Island at stake and approximately 17,000 Rhode Islanders at risk of losing access to nutrition assistance, the Republicans’ House-passed tax bill would devastate essential SNAP benefits at the same time that President Trump’s tariff taxes are adding over $200 to grocery bills for average American families.

According to an analysis by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the Trump-Republican tax bill would result in 7 million people nationwide losing food assistance.  The House-passed SNAP cuts would be a disaster for hungry families and for states – permanently saddling states with extra costs and reducing nutrition assistance that millions of low-income Americans rely upon.

“SNAP is a proven, cost-effective lifeline for more than 144,000 Rhode Islanders, especially low-income children and seniors. When Republicans threaten to cut SNAP benefits, they’re really threatening public health, working families, and our economy.  Access to food is essential for everyone.  The Republican plan would mean less food for the poor, fewer jobs, and less economic activity in the community.  It would increase hunger and hardship,” said Reed.  “Every dollar in federal SNAP investment generates over $1.50 in economic activity.  If you start taking hundreds of millions of dollars out of the local economy, it means stores close, farms go under, and food prices keep going up. Ultimately, the Republican plan would make it harder for Rhode Island families to afford their grocery bills.  I will do everything I can to block these devastating cuts from becoming law.”

“The impact that this cut will have on families, children, seniors, and veterans will be catastrophic,” said Lisa Roth Blackman, Chief Philanthropy Officer of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. “Kids will be less ready to learn in school. Working adults won’t have the energy to work. Seniors will be forced to make terrible choices about whether to pay for prescriptions and healthcare or food. And veterans and people with disabilities will struggle to get the food they need to survive and thrive.”

“Every month, an average of fifteen new households come through our doors for the first time because they cannot afford to put enough food on the table to meet their family’s needs,” said Kate Brewster, CEO of the Jonnycake Center for Hope in South Kingstown. “The ripple effects of the proposed SNAP cuts will be devastating at an already uncertain time. I’m grateful to Senator Reed for standing up against these cuts to the most basic human need – nourishment.”

“We have 1,000 children who receive food at our pantry - just at one pantry,” shared Reverend Maryalice Sullivan of Pete & Andy’s Food Pantry at St. Peter & St. Andrew’s Church in Providence. “The need is already so high. We simply can’t afford a catastrophic cut like the one the administration is talking about.”

Not only would the House-passed Republican plan cut SNAP by roughly 30 percent, it would reduce monthly nutrition assistance for children from low-income families, seniors, disabled Americans, and veterans below what is necessary to maintain a healthy diet while placing a greater burden on states while adding red tape and harsher work requirements for caregivers.

Over 144,000 Rhode Island residents receive SNAP benefits, and the state receives roughly $343.5 million annually in SNAP benefits.  A recent analysis by Trace One placed Rhode Island 15th in the nation based on its share of individuals receiving SNAP benefits. 

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, SNAP participants in Rhode Island received an average of $198.52 per month in SNAP benefits.  This averages $6.52 per person per day.

In addition to increasing hunger for people with lower incomes who are already struggling, Senator Reed warns that the Republican plan to shift the program’s cost to states will hurt taxpayers, farmers, grocers, delivery drivers, and other small businesses.  Senator Reed noted SNAP’s role in supporting public health is critical and the House-passed Republican cuts would be devastating to families and communities across Rhode Island. 

  

The House-passed Republican bill would require all states to pay a 5 percent cost-share, shifting the burden from the federal government to the states.  States with higher payment error rates would have to pay even more. 

SNAP helps ensure strong, consistent sales for American farmers by boosting low-income families’ purchasing power and demand for agricultural products. In addition to traditional retailers, SNAP directly supports local farmers through demand for produce, meat, and dairy products at farmers’ markets and through initiatives such as Bonus Bucks, which provides a dollar-for-dollar match for purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Reed emphasized that the entire state would be impacted by these SNAP cuts through lost productivity and increased expenditures in other public areas, such as health care.

“The irresponsible Republican plan to gut SNAP would increase poverty and make people less healthy more food insecure.  That impacts recipients, neighbors, communities – all of us.  As food insecurity goes up, productivity goes down and health care costs go up,” said Reed.  “We live in the greatest country on Earth and can afford to ensure people don’t go hungry.  Funding this program is a moral, economic, and public health imperative.”

Rhode Island food pantries have reported a spike in demand recently. Several food pantry operators across the state have put out the call for increased food donations as demand increases beyond usual expectations for this time of year, and cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and other programs could exacerbate the demand for food aid.

The Rhode Island Community Food Bank distributes food through its 147 member agencies, reaching approximately 89,000 food-insecure Rhode Islanders each month.  The non-profit provides nutritious staples and fresh produce to food pantries, meal sites, shelters, youth programs and senior centers.  In FY2024, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank distributed 18.3 million pounds of food.