Show-Me Congressman Cleaver's Fight To Save SNAP Funding

From our Kansas City statesman . . . A glimpse at his efforts amid the ongoing government shutdown.

Check his latest newsletter blast . . .  

Fighting to Ensure Missouri Families Receive Food Assistance 

Right now, 42 million Americans are at risk of losing their November SNAP benefits because the Trump administration has not used funds that are legally available.
 
Let me be clear about what's happening: The administration has both the funds and the legal authority to fully fund SNAP benefits in November, which the Trump administration proved during the government shutdown of 2018-2019. The SNAP contingency fund exists for exactly this purpose, and Secretary Rollins has the transfer authority to ensure full benefits go out.
 
But the Department of Agriculture is choosing not to do it.
 
SNAP provides critical food assistance to some of our most vulnerable neighbors:

- 16 million children (39 percent of all beneficiaries)
- 8 million seniors aged 60+ (20 percent of all beneficiaries)
- 4 million people with disabilities (10 percent of all beneficiaries)
- 1.2 million veterans (3 percent of all beneficiaries)

In Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, more than 33,000 people rely on SNAP each month. These are our neighbors, our family members, and members of our community who are working hard but need support to put food on the table. Strengthening food assistance programs has been a priority for me, which is why I fought to secure $850,000 in federal funding for Harvesters Community Food Network, a regional food bank serving 27 counties in western Missouri and northeastern Kansas.

Additionally, I recently joined more than 200 lawmakers in the House of Representatives to urge the administration to take immediate action to ensure SNAP benefits would continue in the weeks ahead. Moreover, I cosponsored legislation that would ensure SNAP benefits remain available during any government shutdown.

As I continue pushing for a bipartisan budget that will reopen government, lower health care costs, and ensure families receive the benefits they are entitled to, my office is open and doing everything possible to provide assistance to those in need . . . 
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