DeLauro Decries $5 Billion Cut To Food Stamps

Holds Press Conference with Connecticut Anti-Hunger Leaders

NEW HAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) spoke out against the $11 billion cuts to food stamps going into effect today and lasting for the next three years. Five billion dollars will be cut starting today, a number that will grow to $11 billion over the next three years. She was joined by Lucy Nolan, Executive Director of End Hunger Connecticut; Stan Sorkin, President of the Connecticut Food Association; Nancy Carrington, President & CEO of the Connecticut Food Bank and Jo-Ann Ndiaye, a food stamp recipient from New Haven. They spoke at a Price Chopper in Middletown, CT, surrounded by food that was emblematic of exactly what food stamp recipients will now be unable to buy thanks to today's cut.

The cut is a result of an expiration of food stamp benefits that were provided in the 2009 economic recovery act (ARRA). Congress is currently debating a five-year farm bill; the version supported by Republicans in the House of Representatives contains $40 billion worth of food stamp cuts, while the Senate bill cuts $4.5 billion. Any cuts that come in addition to the $11 billion going into effect today will leave millions of low-income Americans, including children, without necessary access to food.

"These cuts are terrible for families on the edge, terrible for our economic recovery, and terrible for the future," DeLauro said. "Imagine we had a miracle vaccine that made everyone who took it healthier, and encouraged children's growth and brain development. If such a vaccine existed, wouldn't we try to vaccinate every child in America? We do have that vaccine and it is called food. Food stamps help hungry people get food and it makes a profound difference for people. They have a very real impact on people's lives, particularly children. I regret the cut in benefits I fought so hard for is happening and will work my hardest to ensure no future cuts occur."

Nolan said: "When SNAP was increased by 13 percent as one of the first pieces of the ARRA it worked. Food insecurity in Connecticut went down. Families ate a little better, and had a tool to buy healthier foods. Taking back this increase will hurt our 400,000 plus residents using the program and will decrease their buying power. It's bad for them and it's bad for the economy."

"These cuts mean 17 million meals will be lost from the tables of our most vulnerable residents," said Carrington. "The 424,000 men, women and children affected by these cuts will turn to food-assistance network for help and we are already strained with trying to keep up with the demand. Since 2010, our food distribution has increased by 25 percent. We need a strong charitable system and a strong federal anti-hunger safety net to fight hunger."

In Connecticut's Third Congressional District, represented by DeLauro, one out of seven families is food insecure, meaning they do not know where their next meal is coming from. Statewide, 15 percent of children live in poverty, a 3.8 percent increase from 2007, and 19 percent rely on food stamps for nutrition meals. An estimated 149,000 low-income children in 77,000 Connecticut households will be affected by today's cuts.

According to data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Connecticut was one of the states were food stamps made the largest percentage point difference in lifting households out of poverty. USDA estimates the number of Connecticut families in poverty would have been 17.5 percent higher in fiscal year 2010 if it were not for food stamps.