Senator Murray Hears from Hunger Relief Orgs Across WA State About Fears Amid Trump Cuts to USDA

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a virtual event with hunger relief organizations across Washington state to hear about the challenges they are facing amid steep recent cuts by Trump administration to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs that provide funding food banks and schools to purchase locally-produced food and looming draconian Republican cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps over 42 million people across the country purchase fresh produce and other groceries. Republicans’ reconciliation legislation—which only requires a simple majority to pass in both the House and Senate —would cut SNAP by a staggering $300 billion, according to legislative text that was advanced by the House Agriculture Committee this week. Participating in the virtual event today were representatives from Food Lifeline, Washington Food Coalition, Second Harvest, Northwest Harvest, Harvest Against Hunger, Feeding the Northwest, EastWest Food Rescue, and the Anti-Hunger & Nutrition Coalition.