***A Recording of The Press Conference is Available Here***
47 Million Americans—Including Roughly 2.4 Million New Yorkers—Experienced Food Insecurity in 2023
Hunger Free America Released New National Reports To Fill The Information Gap Caused By The Elimination of USDA’s Annual Hunger Survey
Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) joined advocates at a press conference to demand better policies to combat hunger in America.
The press conference follows the Trump administration’s repeated actions to cut food assistance and raise food costs, which are making it harder for Americans to put food on the table. Earlier this year, President Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—the largest food assistance program in the country—by $186 billion. President Trump also refused to expeditiously tap into the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) contingency fund to provide SNAP benefits during the Republican government shutdown, disrupting food aid for millions of Americans.
“Hunger Free America’s new reports show just how pervasive hunger is in our country. But instead of stepping in to help Americans, the Trump administration is doing the opposite—cutting the very programs that feed hungry families,” said Senator Gillibrand. “By cutting food aid programs like SNAP, the Trump administration is undermining a critical lifeline that nearly 3 million New Yorkers rely on to put food on the table. The administration must put the American people first and take action to curb hunger.”
Senator Gillibrand was joined at the press conference by Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY-10) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), as well as Hunger Free America CEO Joel Berg and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman.
“Hunger Free America’s new study confirms what I’m hearing from people across New Jersey — costs are too high and it’s only getting harder to put food on the table,” said Senator Kim. “A trip to the grocery or the pharmacy should never break the bank. We can solve hunger, but not while the Trump administration continues to cruelly weaponize hunger as a political tool. We owe the American people better, and I look forward to working with advocates like Hunger Free America to deliver a future where hunger is a thing of the past.”
“The Trump Administration can try to bury the truth by canceling the annual food security report, spreading misinformation about SNAP fraud, and dismissing decades of research as ‘fear-mongering,’ but families across the country know all too well how real the hunger crisis is. And it’s only getting worse under Trump and Republicans, who have hollowed out the safety net and driven basic costs beyond reach,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Food Recovery Caucus. “Hunger Free America is doing what this Administration refuses to do: document the lived reality of millions of Americans with credible, independent data that exposes the crisis Republicans in power are desperate to ignore. In Congress, many of us are fighting to protect SNAP, strengthen anti-hunger programs, and invest in commonsense solutions to reduce food waste and expand access to healthy meals. We’re not backing down—no matter how hard this Administration tries to hide the reality of hunger in America.”
At the press conference, Hunger Free America released two studies on hunger in the U.S. to fill the information gap created by the Trump administration’s elimination of the USDA’s annual U.S. Household Food Security survey. The reports can be found here.
Senator Gillibrand has been a champion of anti-hunger legislation throughout her career. When SNAP funding lapsed during the Republican government shutdown, Gillibrand championed the Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act, which aimed to ensure that SNAP and WIC benefits would continue uninterrupted during the shutdown. Earlier this year, she also reintroduced the Closing the Meal Gap Act, legislation that would expand and strengthen SNAP benefits and help those with large medical and housing expenses to qualify for SNAP. She also reintroduced the Enhance Access to SNAP (EATS) Act, which would expand SNAP eligibility to all college students attending 2- and 4-year universities and other continuing education programs who meet traditional SNAP income and eligibility requirements. Furthermore, Senator Gillibrand champions the Healthy Food Financing Initiative Reauthorization Act, which would combat food deserts by providing financial incentives to establish grocery stores in areas where Americans lack easy access to fresh food retailers.
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