Hillsborough County, Fla. — On Tuesday, a House Agriculture Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., focused on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). During the hearing, a partisan debate erupted over stricter work requirements for SNAP recipients, as Republicans advocated for savings and self-sufficiency, while Democrats warned about the impact on vulnerable populations.
The Centre on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that 2.9 million Floridians could be affected by congressional cuts to programs assisting with healthcare and food expenses for low-income families and seniors. Local leaders discussed the potential challenges these cuts could pose to schools managing their own meal programs.
If those cuts happen, it would be the first time since 1946 that the federal government did not fully fund the cost of food benefits.
Denise Thomas Papion has worked for Hillsborough County Schools for 20 years. She is also one of the founders of the Sunshine Education Coalition, a grassroots organisation of educators, parents, and concerned citizens committed to changing the policies and practices that contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline. Their programs are designed to assist students who struggle academically.
“There is something called the summer slide,” said Denise. “The summer slide is when children truly lose everything they have academically during the school year, and because of that, we created the brain booster camp.“
She says the proposed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid could make it harder for schools to operate meal programs and for families to obtain free or reduced-price school meals, summer EBT, or benefits through WIC.
“And if we’re not meeting the basic needs of their children, they’re not going to perform well. It’s just that everything ties into it. It’s like it’s just like a ripple effect,” she added.
The National School Lunch Act was signed into law in 1946.
“Many of our funding sources are currently being eliminated by the federal government,” Karen Perez, Hillsborough County School Board Chair.
At Voices of Justice,Perez discussed the history.
“I have veterans that I’m taking care of,” said Perez. “They were in the military and were able to go into the military because of the Child Nutrition Act. Now, I don’t know if any of you know the history of the Child Nutrition Act, but it was passed because the young men going into the service could not pass the physicals because they were undernourished. That Nutrition Act was passed because both sides of the aisle understood that children were not getting that nutritional value at home.“
Nearly 80 years after the legislation passed, Denise states it continues to have a positive impact.
“When you say you want to take care of everyone, you got to start with the least of us. The least of us are the children,” she added.
She says that providing solid nutrition sets children up for success in all areas of life.
Congress’ temporary budget stays in effect until September, when they will review major program cuts for a finalized budget.
Republicans in Congress have sought budget cuts as they aim to enact President Trump’s agenda to reduce government spending. Critics of SNAP believe that the U.S. spends too much on the program, which is projected to cost 100 billion dollars in 2024.
Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna shared the following statement with Spectrum News:
“Republicans do not want to defund social programs like Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, or SNAP. On the contrary, me and the party have consistently affirmed our wish to protect those programs for generations to come, which is why we are ending the waste, fraud, and abuse that would render these programs insolvent. The attacks and harassment that we’re receiving from Democrats and billionaire-funded activist groups are just a desperate attempt to fear monger people into voting for them again. Make no mistake: this is shallow political theatre.”
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