INDIANAPOLIS — As Congress considers a proposal to cut billions from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Indiana food security advocates are warning of devastating consequences.
The legislation would shift a quarter of SNAP costs to states for the first time in the program’s 60-year history.
Fred Glass, president and CEO of Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, described the proposal as “An unneeded and self-inflicted economic and humanitarian disaster.”
“The unavoidable truth is that many of the over 600,000 Hoosiers who rely on SNAP will be going hungry,” Glass said.
One of the people who depends on food support in central Indiana is Don Henry, who visits Gleaners Food Bank regularly while unemployed. He says the impact of Gleaners on his life is significant.
“They provide food when I’m out of work, basically just providing for needs when I don’t have the extra money,” Henry said.
Henry says on a typical visit, he receives items like milk, eggs, meat, vegetables, fruit, grains, pasta and bread.
When asked how he’d be affected if Gleaners were unable to operate at current levels, he responded with faith but also concern.
“I think I would still find a way to manage because I know the Lord will provide somehow, some way,” he said.
“90 percent of SNAP recipients with children have at least one working adult in the household,” Glass said. “SNAP helps them keep their heads above water.”
SNAP is widely considered one of the most effective and efficient government programs.
The cuts would help finance other federal priorities, including the proposed permanent extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which primarily benefited corporations and high-income individuals.
Beyond hunger, Glass warned of ripple effects across Indiana: higher healthcare costs, increased crime, decreased workforce productivity and lower graduation rates.
He added that if Congress moves forward with this legislation, the result will not only be widespread hunger but also long-term economic harm.
“If this legislation passes, real people will be hurt here in Indiana and across the country," said Glass. "It won’t just be those who go hungry, it will be all of us.”
