Christian Leaders Speak Out Against Trump’s Devastating Budget Cuts

From Circle of Protection website

In June, a diverse group of Christian leaders gathered at the National Press Club on behalf of the Circle of Protection to protest potential budget cuts targeting the poor. 

Representing the full range of Christian traditions, the speakers spoke with prophetic urgency about Jesus' call to care for the poor, the sick, the elderly — the very people the administration's budget would hurt the most. 

Here are a few excerpts (in alphabetical order), courtesy of Sojourners. 

During the election campaign, many Christian leaders together asked the presidential candidates to tell us what they would do to provide help and opportunity to hungry and poor people. Donald Trump wrote to us on Sept. 28. Candidate Trump expressed concern about poverty in America and around the world. He said nothing about deep cuts in the programs that help people in poverty. (See a reply from the Circle of Protection leaders to President-elect Trump)  -David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World.  See Full Statement

Evangelicals believe that people and nations are sufficiently blessed by God’s common grace that we can seek the good of others, as well as our own welfare. As a result, we are prepared to work together across partisan divides and to respect those with whom we may differ on policy choices....Our call to protect programs that serve our most vulnerable neighbors transcends any political party. Our concern for the vulnerable extends beyond our borders to encompass those who are poor, hungry, or threatened by violence throughout the world. -Galen Carey, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), See Full Statement

Many of us have called this budget immoral and unjust. I would have to go even further than that. I would call it mean, vicious, callous, cruel, and yes, because of the devastating impacts it would have on individuals, families, and entire communities, I would even call it evil – perhaps not in intent, but certainly in effect...We stand unwilling to be silent, and asking our brothers and sisters in Christ to make their voices heard. We want them to join us in letting Congress know that we expect them to do what is just and moral and to vote against this budget. -Leslie Copeland-Tune is director of the Ecumenical Poverty Initiative  See Full Statement 

We are here because we believe in a different world. We believe in a world where all have life in abundance. We are here because we cannot accept a federal budget that steals from the poor in order to increase the coffers of the powerful; a budget that enshrines war and tramples the poor. Carlos L. Malavé, executive director of Christian Churches Together in the USA. See Full Statement

Jesus said, “let the children come to me,” and expects us to follow in that spirit. This budget makes American children go hungry — please hear me when I say that — children in America will go hungry because this budget cuts SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) by more than 25 percent. Greatest negative impact? Low-income working families. Sharon Watkins is Chair of the Board of the National Council of Churches  See Full Statement

Religious Congregations Cannot Compensate for Federal Budget Cuts

 “There is no way our country’s 350,000 religious congregations can make up for the cuts in the services that help hungry, poor, and other vulnerable people. Congress should not justify budget cuts by saying that churches and charities can pick up the slack. They cannot.”  Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that the more than half -- or $2.5 trillion over 10 years -- the budget cuts proposed by  President Donald Trump administration’s will come from programs that help low- and moderate-income Americans.

"President Trump’s budget should lay to rest any notion that he’s looking out for the millions of people that the economy has left behind," the CBPP said in a recent analysis. "He proposes steep cuts in basic health, nutrition, and other important assistance for tens of millions of struggling Americans even as he calls for extremely large tax cuts for the nation’s wealthiest people and profitable corporations. Inequality and poverty would grow significantly worse while deficits, when honestly measured, would rise."

Some politicians have suggested that religious communities can help make up  much of the difference. Churches, synagogues, mosques and houses of worship are already deeply engaged in programs that feed hungry people in their communities. They host food pantries, meals for homeless individuals and families, and provide other forms of support to people in their community. So, it is inconceivable that the faith community at large can step in for federal programs that provide a safety net to the community. According to a Bread for the World analysis, the country’s religious congregations would have to add $714,000 to their annual budgets each year for the next decade to make up for the drastic cuts found in President Trump’s federal fiscal year 2018 budget 

 “There is no way our country’s 350,000 religious congregations can make up for the cuts in the services that help hungry, poor, and other vulnerable people,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “Congress should not justify budget cuts by saying that churches and charities can pick up the slack. They cannot.”

Christian leaders who represent The Circle of Protection  expressed opposition to federal budget cuts that would harm people living in hunger and poverty. “The Trump Administration’s budget proposal has now been presented to Congress. We believe budgets are moral documents; they reveal our values and show our priorities, whether for families, churches, organizations, or governments," the Circle of Protection members said in a June 21 news conference. "Budgets show who and what we view as important, and, likewise, who and what are not. We have deep moral concerns about the way this budget would impact those we are called to protect…”

The problem would be worsened by the proposed drastic reductions in in healthcare under consideration by the House and Senate. The proposed American HealthCare Act would eliminate $2,000 a year in healthcare services from every man, woman, and child in or near poverty for the next 10 years. “The healthcare cuts and the fiscal year 2018 budget cuts – both of which are being negotiated in Congress -- are a double whammy for America’s struggling families," said Beckmann.

Here is a statement from St. Vincent de Paul about the healthcare initiative in the Senate 

“The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, long known throughout the country for providing emergency assistance to the poor and the vulnerable on a daily basis, is stunned by the Senate's proposed health care legislation. After making such significant advances as a country in extending this fundamental human and moral right to health coverage to all, regardless of one's economic status, it is inconceivable to me that we could be on the verge of rolling this all back. It is callous and mean-spirited, and not consistent in any way with my Catholic faith and Jesus's call for a preferential option for the poor. We know firsthand from our daily work with the poor how devastating the loss of coverage would be to them, their families and their children. And we know we will also be poorer as a country and a civil society that professes to care for the least among us if we follow the path laid out by the Senate legislation.”  Sheila Gilbert, National St. Vincent de Paul President,

Circle of Protection Speaks Out Against Cuts to Social Programs

On Wednesday, March 29, religious leaders who are part of the Circle of Protection held a prayer vigil and a press conference at the Capitol to protest proposed legislation that would disproportionally harm poor and vulnerable people. In addition to ongoing concern about cuts to Medicaid, the administration’s budget blueprint proposes cuts to a wide array of domestic anti-poverty programs, including nutrition, housing, heating, and community development. The budget also aims to slash foreign aid at a time of worsening famine.

The Circle of Protection, which believes that budgets are moral documents, opposes these cuts and will make their voices known to congressional leadership. Bishop José García, a member of the Church Relations team at Bread for the World, was among the leaders in attendance. Other leaders included Bread President David Beckmann and Jim Wallis of Sojourners. This video, broadcast on Facebook, has an introduction by Bishop García for broadcast to the Latino constituency and supporters of Bread.  Rev. Beckmann, Rev. Wallis and six other religious leaders follow with their own comments.

Trump Budget Removes the Wheels from Meals on Wheels

The need is growing rapidly, and federal funding has not kept pace. The network is already serving 23 million fewer meals now than in 2005, and waiting lists are mounting in every state. At a time when increased funding is needed, we fear that the millions of seniors who rely on us every day for a nutritious meal, safety check and visit from a volunteer will be left behind. -Statement from Meals on Wheels America

A few weeks ago, we posted a video created by Albuquerque Involved, featuring Shauna Frost, executive director of Meals on Wheels in Albuquerque, who said the organization serves over 500 people a day locally. Many of those clients have special medical needs, and Meals on Wheels prepares the meals accordingly. "We basically serve food and friendship, and we've done that for the past 45 years," Frost said in the video (which we reposted at the end of this blog piece).

The work of Meals on Wheels in Albuquerque and elsewhere is in major jeopardy. On Thursday, President Donald Trump released his  Budget Blueprint, also known as the “skinny budget,” to Congress with a plan to release further details in the coming months. The blueprint focuses on discretionary spending levels for Fiscal Year 2018, and makes investments in defense programs, paid for through deep cuts to non-defense discretionary (NDD) programs, such as Meals on Wheels.

"The portions of the President’s Budget that have been released so far call for the elimination of a number of federal programs, including the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), on which some local Meals on Wheels programs rely to deliver nutritious meals, safety checks and friendly visits to our nation’s most vulnerable seniors," said Meals on Wheels America. Here is a post that the organization sent on Twitter on Thursday.

Cuts of any kind would be devastating for millions of vulnerable seniors. Our #SkinnyBudget statement: https://t.co/R2MkmuitBR #Budget2017

— Meals on Wheels (@_MealsOnWheels) March 16, 2017

A Place at the Table denounced the cuts. "Support for working Americans is...on the chopping block, and will almost certainly be the next target," said Tom Colicchio, a leader in the anti-hunger organization. "There has never been a time when it’s more important to stand together and demand our leaders take action."

"Our leaders need to fight to end hunger now, not cut vital nutrition programs," said Colicchio. "The last thing policymakers should be doing right now is making life harder for people who don't have enough food to eat. Let’s make sure they know where we stand."

A Place at the Table is providing this link for people to send a message to Congress.

And here is a repost of the video of Meals on Wheels Albuquerque.

Stop the Madness!

Rev. David Beckmann has a message for you about the recent Budget proposals that would cut anti-hunger programs. YOU can tell Congress to stop this madness! Call (800/826-3688) or email your members of Congress now.



Here is the basic message, but personalize it if you can:

I am deeply concerned by the Trump Administration's proposed budget outline, which includes deep and disproportionate cuts to critical foreign assistance programs and puts our domestic social safety net programs at risk.

Right now, 20 million people are at risk of starvation due to famine in South Sudan and other African countries. In the U.S., 1 in 6 children live at risk of hunger. My faith calls me to urge you to maintain our investments in international development and domestic nutrition programs.

These programs are helping millions of people escape from hunger. As Congress works on the 2018 budget and spending bills, reject cuts to life-saving programs like international development and domestic nutrition programs.

Safeguarding Our Nutrition Safety Net

Statement by National Anti- Hunger Organizations 

Sustainable Development Goal #2

December 14, 2016 ─ Our organizations, which make up the National Anti-Hunger Organizations, are committed to ensuring a strong and effective national nutrition safety net for vulnerable, low-income individuals and families. With a united voice, we reflect on the hunger problem in America and its solutions as we transition to a new president and a new Congress.

There are 42 million people in this country--13 million of them children and over 5 million of them seniors--living in households struggling with hunger. This problem would be far, far worse if not for the nation’s very effective anti-hunger programs:

• the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ( SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) ;
• the National School Breakfast and School Lunch programs;
• the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) that provides nutritious meals for children in child care, Head Start, and afterschool programs and shelters;
• the Summer Meals programs; 
• the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC);
• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) , which provides commodities to food banks;
• the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations; and
• nutrition programs for the elderly (e.g., the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and congregate and home-delivered meals).

Sustainable Development Goal #1

Together, these federal nutrition programs reduce hunger and poverty, improve health and learning, increas e productivity, create jobs, and strengthen our communities. They help the many people in our country—of all ages, races, ethnicities , and life circumstances—who are struggling. This includes seniors, children, people with disabilities, military and veterans’ families, low-wage workers, unemployed and underemployed adults, and others.

In particular, SNAP, as our nation’s first line of defense against hunger, has the broadest reach. It is structured to respond effectively to need as a result of economic downturns, natural disasters, and other causes.

Get Involved

_____________________________________________________________

We now are expanding the reach of this common message to include national, state and local organizations demonstrating the diverse groundswell of support for the federal nutrition programs. Follow this link to view and sign your organization (organizations only, please) onto this statement.

We aim to get thousands of organizational signatures. To achieve this level of support it is imperative that we all reach out to our networks in every state and Congressional District.  We urge you to disseminate this advocacy ask as widely as possible.

This sign-on letter will be shared with all Members of Congress and the new Administration.

Deadline: This letter will be a key advocacy resource for the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, March 5th-7th in Washington, DC.  Follow this link for more on the conference. Please sign your organization onto this letter by Wednesday, March 1 to ensure your organization is listed in the FRAC Lobby Day (March 7) materials.

_____________________________________________________________

Soon, the new Congress and President-elect Trump will be sworn in and will begin making key decisions. We call on them to recommit America to one of its most important and widely agreed-upon beliefs , one that has deep and long-standing bipartisan support: nobody in this country should go hungry. We call on them to safeguard the federal nutrition programs, including protecting the programs against block grants or other structural changes that would undermine the ir effectivenes ; fully fund ing these programs and defend ing them against bud get cuts; and taking steps to assure all hungry people in our country receive the help they need. We look forward to working with the new Congress and President-elect Trump toward the goal of ending hunger in the United States.

The Alliance to End Hunger

Bread for the World

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Congressional Hunger Center

Feeding America

Food Research and Action Center

Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger

Meals on Wheels America

No Kid Hungry

RESULTS

Society of St. Andrew

WhyHunger

So, What's the Deal with Speaker Paul Ryan's Anti-Poverty Plan?

Image from NETWORK

This is a classic case of a half-empty glass versus a half-full glass. Regardless, the glass needs to be full, which it clearly is not. (And perhaps it's going from half full to a quarter full).

I'm speaking about the blueprint that Speaker Paul Ryan released on June 7, 2016. The plan, entitled “A Better Way to Fight Poverty, has a few nuggets of good news (which is why the glass is half full).

A willingness to dialogue
First, the good news. (Don't we all want to hear the good news first)?  A feature of the plan is that it opens the door to dialogue, launching a bipartisan discussion on hunger and poverty and the policies required to end them.

Secondly, the proposal from the leader of the House of Representatives seems to run counter to a piece of legislation that was introduced in the House during the current session, H.R. 5003. This initiative would block grant school meals and and make it more difficult for tens of thousands, if not millions, of children to access meals at school and during the summer months.

Speaker Ryan's plan promises that none of the important nutrition programs are going to be block-granted, so that's huge!

“Bread for the World applauds Speaker Ryan for giving poverty the attention it deserves and offering a plan to address it,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “We have disagreements with some of the proposals. But we are pleased that the plan doesn’t propose to cut or block-grant anti-poverty programs, and we welcome the emphasis on making programs as effective as possible.”  Here is Bread for the World's full statement

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) offered similar comments."As Christians, loving God and loving our neighbors includes commitment to any who suffer from hunger or poverty," said the Rev. Amy Reumann, ELCA Director for Advocacy. "We are pleased that the plan doesn't propose to cut or institute block-grants for anti-poverty programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and that it focuses on areas of importance to ELCA hunger work, including housing, childhood education and criminal justice reform as part of the larger picture." Read full statement in the ELCA Advocacy Blog

Beckmann, Reumann and other Christian leaders, who form the core of the Circle of Protection, have repeatedly met with Ryan and his staff. They recently wrote to members of the task force about what they hoped to see – and not see – in the Republican poverty plan. Read the letter
 
Okay, that's the good news.

The downside
The bad news deals with the actual proposals that Speaker Ryan put forth in his plan. Bread notes that the Republican plan stresses work without offering any solution to the fact that many people cannot find jobs. The plan fails to address the disparate impact of poverty on people of color and the racial bias that underlies this reality. The Republican plan also fails to mention global hunger and poverty, even though Republicans and Democrats have worked together on some global poverty issues.

Others offer a harsher assessment. "House Speaker Paul Ryan’s poverty plan ignores the realities of the struggles of millions of individuals and families across the country who need federal entitlement programs to make ends meet," said said the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). "By diminishing these crucial supports, the Ryan proposal actually would make poverty in America far worse," 

"To be clear, the Ryan proposal is not just about drastic cuts to proven programs; it’s also about dismantling the stable and effective structure of our nation’s safety net," added FRAC.  "It is downright dangerous. It is dangerous because, by abandoning the proven strengths of the key parts of the nation’s nutrition safety net, it will increase hunger and poverty, harm health and learning, and pull resources out of low-income communities."  Read FRAC's full statement

Image from the NETWORK blog

NETWORK Lobby (and specifically Sister Simone Campbell) also raised objections to many of the elements in the plan.

In response, NETWORK released a list of 10 Things Speaker Ryan Could Do to Address Poverty Right Now, but yet again, Speaker Ryan’s plan falls short.

Sister Simone Campbell suggests the resounding disinterest in the Speaker’s plan stems from the fact that this is D+ work at best. To illustrate the point – graphically, and with a little bit of sassy Sister-Spirit – Sister Simone offers this annotated, graded copy of the plan’s summary (see the illustration on the top of this blog post). For a clearer view, download the PDF

In Summary
Okay, let's summarize.  Bipartisan approach and dialogue. Good.  Taking block grants off the table. Also good.  Emphasis on job creation. Also good.  Emphasis on job creation in an environment of few jobs. Not good.  Reduced funding for crucial programs. Terrible.

On balance, the speaker's intentions are good. There was a time when he was speaking about simply making the cuts and not engaging in dialogue. But there is an old adage, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  Perhaps our programs need a lot of tweaking, but please don't gut them in the name of making assistance more streamlined.  The next question is whether the bipartisan House Hunger Caucus is going to engage in this discussion.  I hope so.

“We believe we can end hunger and extreme poverty in our country and around the world if our leaders make it a higher priority," said Beckmann. "We look forward to seeing the Democrats’ anti-poverty plan, and to having a real debate about solutions.”

Sharing the Airwaves with a Distinguished Group of Activists

"Food benefits have been a hot topic of conversation in New Mexico, and across the country, over the past year. The Martinez administration sought to implement new work requirements for some adults this year, but a judge ruled  in March that those changes won't go into effect until December.  The New Mexico Center for Law and Poverty wants the federal courts to bring in someone from outside the department to takeover processing of applications for some HSD programs, including food benefits."   -introduction to text related to call-in show

On May 19, 2016, KUNM, an affiliate of NPR in Albuquerque, chose the subject of food benefits, specifically the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as its topic of discussion. The two principal guests on the show were Sovereign Hager, Supervising Attorney for NM Center on Law and Poverty and Miles Conway, Communication Coordinator for Council 18 AFSCME.  Joey Peters, reporter for NM Political Report offered background on a controversial issue where a group of workers in the Human Services Department testified earlier this month that their bosses changed applications for food stamps in order to prevent people from gaining access to emergency assistance. HSD officials invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times last week when called to testify in court about the allegations.

A few of us were asked to provide insight on how state policies affected different communities of people in the state. They included Gordon Yawakia, Prevention Coordinator at the Albuquerque Indian Center; Brooke Tafoya, Director of Operations for A New Day Youth and Family Services, and Reed Russell, social services manager at Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless. In my case, I (Carlos Navarro, State Coordinator for Bread for the World) spoke about the faith community's view on hunger and poverty in New Mexico. I come in at about 16th minute mark of the show.  There were also some good questions from the listening audience, and Sarah Gustavus did a masterful job of hosting. Read more on the background related to the report.  Listen to the Audio

Bread for the World Advocacy Outcomes for 2014

Members of Congress rely on their constituents to keep them informed of issues and concerns in their districts. By writing your members of Congress, you’ve made yourself a valuable source of information. Congressional aides figure you represent others, so your voice becomes amplified. Writing letters gives you voice and power. Taking the time to write tells your members of Congress that you’re serious and that they’re accountable to you.  Exerpt from "Why Write to Congress", in Bread for the World's Take Action page.

Have you ever wondered what impact those letters to Congress, those meetings with congressional aides, those phone calls to Washington and the district office, those tweets, those letters to the editor are having?

The communications staff at Bread for the World put together these illustrations to show the progress against hunger since 1990 and the outcome of the advocacy efforts of grassroots members and staff during 2014 (illustrated in the five graphics below)

Remember those letters you wrote in 2014 urging Congress to reform food-aid programs? Legislators approved a set of reforms, and as a result, 1.5 million more people around the world have been fed.

These results, of course, did not occur in a vacuum. Bread for the World works in a number of coalitions (like the Modernizing Foreign Asissistance Network), and many other organizations and their members contributed to the outcome of the legislative initiatives.

This year, Bread for the World members (in partnership with other nutrition advocates) urged Congress to reauthorize child nutrition programs in our country, through our Feed Our Children campaign. In New Mexico, members of 18 congregations wrote more than 2,000 letters to Congress around this issue. Stay tuned for legislative updates.

Here are the graphics for the advocacy outcomes for 2014.

Food Aid Reform:

Circle of Protection:

Poverty-Focused Development Assistance

Immigration Reform

New USAID Strategy 

Dear Presidential Candidate, "How Would You Address Hunger in the U.S. and Around the World?"

Photo: Bread for the World

Over 100 Christian leaders have asked each presidential candidate, “What would you do as president to offer help and opportunity to hungry and poor people in the United States and around the world?” These videos, produced by the campaigns, are their response. The Circle of Protection, in partnership with Bread for the World, presents them without comment or endorsement. Additional candidate videos will be added as they are received.  As of Sept. 9, nine candidates (six Republicans and three Democrats) had responded.

The presidential videos are a major part of Bread for the World’s efforts to make hunger and poverty part of the national conversation during the campaigns for both president and Congress. Read more in Bread Blog

This link has the video responses from Jeb Bush, Dr. Ben Carson, Hillary Clinton, Sen. Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, Martin O'Malley and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

(The videos have received coverage in religious and other media and in some religious Web sites, including Mother Jones, Catholic News Service, The National Catholic Reporter, The Christian Post, Mennonite Church USA, National Association of Evangelicals and PRNewswire. Most of this coverage took place when the initial set of videos from six candidates was released in July). 

Children Ask Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich to Protect Child Nutrition Programs

April 19 was Children's Day at two churches in New Mexico. All Saints Lutheran Church and St. Andrew Presbyterian Church not only had their adults write a total of 149 letters to Congress that day to ask our legislators to protect and expand child nutrition programs. The two churches also offered the opportunity for children to send the same message to Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Sen. Martin Heinrich and Sen. Tom Udall. Eight of these paper plate letters came from All Saints and 10 from St. Andrew.

The paper plate messages contained in this blog post were drawn by the children at St. Andrew. Patty Emord, who organized the overall offering of letters at the church, provided the photographs..The messages from the children ranged from a simple request to "End Childhood Hunger"  to more complex messages  urging Congress to take action to ensure that children have access to nutritious meals. A handful of those paper plates are posted here along with the sample letter provided by Bread for the World as of April 14, 2015.

April 19, 2015
Dear Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham:

As you consider the 2016 budget and renewing child nutrition programs this year, I urge you to make sure children at risk of hunger can get the healthy meals they need to learn and grow.

Specifically, I urge you to protect child nutrition programs from cuts and harmful policy changes and improve children's access to these programs while not cutting other safety-net programs. SNAP (formerly food stamps), serves nearly 21 million children. I urge you to protect SNAP and other anti-poverty programs from harmful budget and funding cuts.

Nutrition programs serve as a lifeline for America's vulnerable children and their families. As your constituent, I urge you to protect and improve child nutrition programs.

Sincerely,
The Children of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church 
5301 Ponderosa Ave.
Albuquerque, N.M. 87110
 

P.S. We also ask Congress to take a longer-term view at addressing hunger in our country and around the world while protecting the environment.

Urge Congress Not to Cut Funding for SNAP and Medicaid

'This is real. This is not a false alarm."  -Rep. Jim McGovern, co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus

Photo: Bread for the World

The House and Senate Budget Committees just released their budget proposals. Both proposals contain enormous cuts to effective anti-hunger programs. The House budget proposes cutting $140 billion from SNAP (formerly called food stamps). The Senate budget proposes cutting Medicaid by $400 billion. Medicaid provides health coverage for 28 million children.

 
For anti-hunger advocates, it is not in our DNA to stand on the sidelines.  Bread for the World and the Food Research Action Center (FRAC) offer opportunities to take action.
 
In a post in the Bread Blog this week, Eric Mitchell, Bread for the World's government relations director urges us to send emails and make phone calls to Congress urging them to protect these vital safety net programs.  "Congress repeatedly wants to use anti-poverty programs as their piggy bank for deficit reduction," said Mitchell.  "I’m tired of it. I need your voice Will you call or email your members of Congress? Tell them to protect SNAP and Medicaid from cuts."

Bread for the World provides a toll-free number to the Capitol Hill switchboard 800-826-3688.  There is also a handy link to send an email to our senators and representatives.

"Congress should be investing in our children—not undermining their health and taking meals away from them," said Mitchell.

FRAC has set up a Call-In Day for Tuesday, March 24: Participate in Keep SNAP Strong Call-In Day. Call your Representatives (pdf) and Senators (pdf) and tell them to: protect SNAP; speak out on the floor in support of SNAP; and use the data above to vote on behalf of constituents who rely on SNAP and other programs that help lift people out of poverty.

FRAC also provides the opportunity for anti-hunger advocates to share data on SNAP participation rates by congressional district. This interactive map was developed by USDA.

Here is the data for New Mexico

New Mexico All Congressional Districts (153.03 KB)

New Mexico Congressional District 1 (140.39 KB)

New Mexico Congressional District 2 (140.4 KB)

New Mexico Congressional District 3 (140.39 KB)

"We strongly encourage you to reach out to your Senators and House Members immediately and use this data as part of your arsenal to protect SNAP from budget cuts," said FRAC. "The time for us to act is now. As our anti-hunger hero, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), says, 'This is real. This is not a false alarm'."

FRAC offers handy tips on how to use the data when making contact with our member of Congress.

Highlight Number of SNAP Households: Urge your members to carefully consider how cuts to SNAP would be a disaster for thousands (use the number of households on the data sheet to make your point) of the most vulnerable citizens in his/her own backyard, including children, seniors, people with disabilities and others who are just trying to make ends meet.  
Point out the poverty level. Explain how cuts to SNAP would only make poverty and hunger in the district much worse, and would have a negative ripple effect for business and the local economy.
Highlight the Work Status numbers to illustrate that the majority of SNAP households had at least one employed person over the past year, which shows that these households are doing their best to make ends meet. SNAP plays a critical role in filling in the gaps — while also ensuring individuals get the nutrition they need - so people may be lifted out of poverty, rather than falling deeper into it.

Bread Rising in New Mexico: An Outstanding Anti-Hunger Advocate

We honored Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham at our Bread Rising in New Mexico celebration on October 25.  (There will be several other posts from the event in the coming days). Because of a busy schedule, the congresswoman could not be there herself to accept the recognition. Field representative Alexandria Bazan accepted the certificate on behalf of the congresswoman. A video of the presentation and a letter from Rep. Lujan Grisham to participants (read by Ms. Bazan) is right below.

Taking the SNAP Challenge

Larry Buelow, Ellen Buelow, Alex Bazan (Field Representative)

BFTW Award Presentation from Larry Buelow on Vimeo.