Standing up for SNAP: A call for compassion and policy that works
On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, under a bright blue sky, members of the press gathered to hear from elected officials and everyday Americans. The everyday Americans were all people whose lives are deeply impacted by potential cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). There is legislation before Congress right now that could absolutely gut SNAP. The House Agriculture Committee has been directed to cut $230 billion from its budget. SNAP is the largest program under their committee. I was one of four women invited to share our personal experiences with SNAP. Our message was clear: protect the program that protects millions.
Lived experience of programs like SNAP should shape policy
People with lived experience of poverty bring essential insight. We offer perspectives that data alone can’t capture. Our leadership ensures that solutions are grounded in reality, not assumptions. When I joined the Experts on Poverty cohort in 2015, it was important to me to put a face to hunger and poverty. People with lived experience show that these issues affect real people with real stories.
Before the press conference, I had the opportunity to meet with members of Congress. Standing with them and exchanging stories felt like reconnecting with someone who understands the road I’ve walked. Their empathy reminded me why I continue to advocate through organizations like RESULTS. Over the years, I’ve seen threats to SNAP, the Child Tax Credit (CTC), and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) become far too common. These are not just budget items — they are lifelines. And yet, time and again, we see some lawmakers of faith use that very faith to justify policies that harm people facing the worst barriers. That’s not compassion. That’s not justice.
Ending poverty means removing barriers, not passing judgment
No one wakes up one day and chooses to live in poverty. There are many roads into it — job loss, illness, systemic inequality — but very few pathways out. And the ones that exist are often blocked by barriers, bureaucracy, and stigma. Poverty is not a personal failure. It’s a policy choice. And choosing to let children, families, seniors, and people with disabilities go hungry is a moral failure.
The latest proposal on SNAP before Congress includes expanding work requirements for recipients. This proposal seeks to severely limit how long an “able-bodied adult without dependents” can use SNAP without formal employment. But this ignores a simple truth: you can’t mandate work where there are no jobs. In many rural and post-industrial areas, opportunities are scarce. Imposing time limits on how long an “able-bodied adult without dependents” can receive food assistance assumes that hunger has a deadline. It doesn’t. Food insecurity is persistent and complex.
Too often, critics focus on what SNAP recipients buy, rather than why they make those choices. They accuse SNAP users of making unhealthy choices. But, limited access to full-service grocery stores and the meager size of benefits drive those decisions. It’s not laziness or neglect. Blaming poor diets on individual choices while ignoring structural issues is lazy policymaking. Smart policy would be to tackle issues like food deserts, low wages, and unaffordable health care. It’s easier to point fingers than to fix systems.
SNAP is a lifeline, we must live by our values and protect it
Yesterday, House Agriculture Democrats brought together four women — each from different backgrounds to make a simple but urgent plea: protect SNAP. Give families the tools to thrive. Give those tools to the elderly, the disabled, and the farmers who feed us all. In order to do that, decision makers must listen to us. We have lived the realities of poverty and these government programs. We know what works. SNAP works.
Like many lawmakers, I too am a person of faith. I want to say to every member of Congress, including my own: Matthew 25:35 says, “For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat.” If faith truly guides your actions, let it show in your policies. Don’t weaponize religion to justify neglect. Instead, lead with compassion. Do better. Be better. Want better for your constituents and for your neighbors.
