MAZON: New USDA Analysis Points to Callous and Cruel Trump Administration Policy Jeopardizing Nearly One Million Children's Access to School Lunches

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, after a lengthy delay, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released an analysis of the impact of its latest Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rule change, estimating that nearly one million children could lose their automatic eligibility for free or reduced-price school meals under the Trump administration proposal to "revise" the Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility guidelines for SNAP.

The USDA released the report in response to widespread pressure and criticism for failing to report the full impact of the SNAP rule change on children's access to free school lunch meals. In response to the report, MAZON President & CEO Abby J. Leibman issued the following statement:

"This administration continues to look the other way while purposefully pushing aside the very real needs of low-income children and families who struggle with hunger. This latest data from USDA underscores the callous and cruel scheming by the Trump Administration to weaken vital safety net programs, including making it more difficult for nearly one million children to access food at school.

"While the administration has said it hopes the proposed rule will make SNAP eligibility more 'consistent,' this is just a thinly-veiled attempt to put up yet another barrier to accessing needed nutrition assistance for vulnerable Americans.

"The reality is that tens of millions of Americans face hunger and are in need of help from federal programs like SNAP. It has never been more urgent to protect and strengthen SNAP and to ensure that struggling Americans—especially children, seniors, active duty military families, veterans, single mothers, college students, and people in rural, remote and Native American communities—are able to access vital federal nutrition assistance programs. We must make it easier, not more difficult, for those struggling with hunger to get the help they need and deserve."

About MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger: Inspired by Jewish values and ideals, MAZON is a national advocacy organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel. For more information on MAZON, please visit mazon.org. 

Contact:
Julia Natasha Watthey, MBA
Director of Communications
[email protected] | (424) 208-7203   

SOURCE MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

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