For Massachusetts, the consequences of these proposed cuts would be severe. There are more than 1 million SNAP recipients in Massachusetts. SNAP brings an estimated $2.6 billion federal dollars into the state each year, supporting not only low-income households but also our food economy (e.g., grocers and farmers). Put more simply, cuts to SNAP would destabilize the food economy and ultimately the Massachusetts economy.
According to research by the Commonwealth Fund, cutting SNAP could cost Massachusetts an estimated 3,800 jobs, many in retail grocery, food distribution, and agriculture. On top of that, state tax revenue would shrink by around $47.3 million in 2026, complicating efforts to fund critical programs like schools, infrastructure, and public safety. Even if you think federal nutrition programs don’t benefit you, they do. We all pay for hunger – one job loss at a time.
Moreover, cuts to SNAP and other federal nutrition programs will directly impact communities already facing significant public health disparities. Included in those communities are children. Do you know that more than 595,000 children in Massachusetts eat school meals every single day?
The school meals program is under attack, too. Proposed changes to the Community Eligibility Provision would strip 469 schools in Massachusetts of the ability to provide free meals funded by the federal government, shifting the financial burden to the state to feed the over 221,000 students enrolled in those schools. Is that what we want? No, we don’t.
Our children deserve more. Our neighbors and communities deserve more. We, as taxpayers, deserve more. We know food insecurity isn’t an individual failure; it’s a policy choice.
Dining and Cooking