Massachusetts Families Fear Worsening Hunger Crisis Amid Trump’s Cuts to SNAP in Big, Ugly Bill

Photos (DropBox)

EAST BOSTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Congressman James P. McGovern (MA-02) convened a listening session in East Boston with Project Bread, the leading statewide food security organization in Massachusetts, to highlight the devastating impacts that Trump’s Big, Ugly Bill will have on Massachusetts families who rely on federal food assistance.

“No one in Massachusetts – no child, student, parent, or senior – should go hungry.,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley. “Trump and Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill is a shameful betrayal of our shared humanity and will make communities in the Massachusetts 7^th and across the country hungrier, poorer, and sicker. SNAP is a lifeline, especially for families facing other insecurities, and for Black, brown, and LGBTQ+ households that face the highest rates of food insecurity. Listening to families directly impacted by this crisis is essential as we chart a path forward, and I’m grateful to fight alongside Rep. McGovern, Project Bread, state and local leaders, and critical food assistance, nutrition, and farming advocates to ensure food justice for all.”

“Federal nutrition assistance programs put food on the table for families across Massachusetts. Today, we heard directly from some of those families about how the Trump’s Big Ugly Bill and DOGE cuts will make families more hungry and less healthy. Forty-two million people – the vast majority of which are working people, kids, seniors, and people with disabilities – will see their SNAP benefits cut and families with teenagers, older adults, veterans, former foster youth, and homeless people could lose their benefits altogether,” said Rep. James P. McGovern, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee. “Kids will have less nutritious food at school and families utilizing food pantries will have less access to fruits and vegetables. I can’t think of anything more cruel than taking food away from hungry families all to fund tax breaks for billionaires.” 

“Project Bread hears from over 25,000 families every year just how critical food assistance programs are. People experiencing hunger share how they are working hard to provide for their families, navigating work challenges, health crises, family concerns, and much more, and it is important that we listen and uplift the real stories of food insecurity in Massachusetts,” said Erin McAleer, President and CEO of Project Bread. “We invest in building connections with those directly experiencing hunger because that lived expertise is central to how we develop and implement sustainable community solutions. Hunger is a policy choice. In Massachusetts, we are lucky to have powerful congressional and community leaders ready to listen, learn, and lead in the fight to ensure everyone can put food on the table.”

Congresswoman Pressley, Congressman McGovern, and Project Bread discussed the stories of people with lived experience in the Massachusetts 7th, as well as partners and advocates, including Ricardo Henry, Community Leader of Neighborhood Food Action Collaborative; Sandra Nijjar, Founder of East Boston Community Soup Kitchen; Carlos Morales, Food Access Manager of La Colaborativa; Michelle Doyle, Meals Program Director of Prospect Hill Academy Charter School; Alexandra Mello, Project Bread Council of Experts; Janin Otero, Project Bread Council of Experts, and others. Also joining them were state and local officials, including State Representative Adrian Madaro, State Senator Lydia Edwards, State Senator Sal DiDomenico, Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata; Jeffrey McCue, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance; Julianne Stelmaszyk, Director of the Division of Food Security at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources; Allison Bovell-Ammon, Assistant Undersecretary for Children and Family Services at the MA Executive Office of Health and Human Services; and Aliza Wasserman, Director of the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Food Justice.

Photo from the listening session are available here.

Throughout her time in Congress, Rep. Pressley has been a champion for food security and justice and ensuring families have the essential food assistance they deserve. She has been an outspoken critic of the Big, Ugly Bill since its inception and Republicans’ harmful cuts to SNAP and other government service programs.

• Rep. Pressley joined colleagues at a press conference imploring the House to reject the cruel and harmful legislation.
• Rep. Pressley joined the Congressional Black Caucus and over 100 colleagues in stalling a vote on the Big, Ugly Bill.  
• Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Senate’s passage of the Big, Ugly Bill and vowing to continue fighting it using every tool available.
• Rep. Pressley rallied with advocates from Caring Across Generations, Care Can’t Wait, and partner organizations to protest Trump’s and Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill that proposes disastrous cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other essential programs and would leave communities sicker, poorer, and more vulnerable.
• Ahead of the House’s vote on the bill, Rep. Pressley delivered an impassioned speech on the House floor in which she made a direct appeal to her Republican colleagues to oppose this cruel and harmful bill.
• Rep. Pressley delivered a floor speech in which she slammed the bill’s proposed Medicaid cuts, which would decimate reproductive healthcare in America and worsen maternal health outcomes.
• Rep. Pressley co-hosted a press conference with Color of Change to oppose the Republicans’ cruel and harmful budget reconciliation package, which would gut critical programs like Medicaid and SNAP.
• In the House Oversight Committee’s markup of the Republican reconciliation bill, Rep. Pressley demanded Republicans answer to the families who would go hungry by way of this reconciliation bill – and she was met with silence.
• In an impassioned speech on the House floor, Rep. Pressley slammed Republicans’ cruel and callous budget resolution that would slash Medicaid, SNAP, and other critical government services to pay for trillions of dollars in tax giveaways for Donald Trump’s billionaire donors.

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