Today, the United States Senate voted to pass a reconciliation bill that guts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), threatening the basic survival of millions of Americans—including over 700,000 Oregonians who rely on SNAP to put food on the table.

This bill will strip benefits from 108,000 people in Oregon, slash $160 a month from a typical family’s food budget, and gut hundreds of millions in food assistance from Oregonians. These cuts are not about reducing fraud or fixing inefficiencies, they are a calculated assault on the principle that no one should go hungry in the richest country in the world.

SNAP is a basic needs program that has supported working families, children, veterans, people with disabilities, and seniors across the country for over 50 years. It keeps kids in school, helps older adults stay healthy, and sustains 3,484 grocers and over 90 farmers markets throughout Oregon. This bill not only undermines that legacy, it deliberately abandons it.

This bill will increase hunger, deepen poverty, and destabilize communities. It will force families to skip meals, push students out of school meal programs, and cause small businesses to lose essential income. And the communities hit hardest—rural towns, low-income households, and communities of color—will bear the brunt.

We don’t need to cut services—we need to make them work better. Instead of gutting healthcare, food assistance, and public schools, Congress should fix them by making the wealthy pay what they owe in taxes. 

Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon will stand shoulder to shoulder with allies, advocates, and every Oregonian threatened by this bill to fight this bill becoming law. The House must shut it down, and state leaders must use every lever at their disposal to shield our most vulnerable neighbors. We will continue to fight until every person has the food they need to live and thrive.

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At Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, we work alongside those most impacted by hunger and poverty to advocate for systemic changes and better access to food. We believe everyone has the right to be free from hunger.  To bring that vision into reality, we raise awareness about hunger, connect people to nutrition programs, and advocate for systemic changes.  www.oregonhunger.org