ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) – Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and Democratic congressional candidate Tom Perriello visited Loaves and Fishes on Tuesday, October 27 to discuss growing food insecurity and cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP.) They also discussed how they hope to address the issue.
President Trump administration’s federal cuts affect SNAP and federal assistance for food banks like Loaves and Fishes.
“We’re all here to show support for the food program, but also to show enormous support for Tom Perriello,” Sen. Warner said.
According to Virginia Social Services, thousands of Virginians rely on SNAP to feed their families. That includes 2,665 households in Albemarle County.
The Federation of Virginia Food Banks says two in five Virginians struggle to afford food.
Perriello, the Democratic candidate for Virginia’s 5th District, said the political cuts started in Washington and can end there.
“Whether that’s these cuts to food stamps, the cuts to Medicaid, and just the dehumanization of the process that hurts folks who are struggling so much to make it paycheck to paycheck, we can reverse those decisions,” Perriello said.
Perriello said the volunteers who help are inspiring but described the need as heartbreaking.
“They’re trying to help folks falling through the cracks. But if the cracks get wider and wider, there’s only so much that can be done at the community level. It has to be a partnership with good policy that help get us healthier kids and healthier families,” Perriello said.
Sen. Kaine, said everyone should care about the SNAP cuts.
“We’re willing to spend tens of billions of dollars on an unnecessary and illegal war that’s cost Americans a hundred billion dollars already in excess fuel costs, but we’re trying to cut the SNAP program. What’s the emergency that’s leading to this suffering?” Kaine said.
Warner said that if Democrats do take back the House and Senate, there will be reform.
“There is always a place for reform,” Warner said. He added, “I think the voice of the people will echo that come next Tuesday.”
Democratic Senator the Reverend Raphael Warnock from Georgia also attended to show support for Perriello. He said the election is a moment for the people.
“We see similar conditions on the ground all across the state of Georgia. And I think what is clear is that we suffer not from a poverty of resources, but of moral imagination, of courage,” Warnock said.
Warnock also added that these cuts have disproportionately impacted red, rural districts.
“It’s the folks who sadly listened to Donald Trump and were struggling, and they took a chance on him, who were disproportionately hurting. I see it in rural districts all across Georgia. We see it in rural districts all across Virginia. And all of us ought to care about this, because despite what Republicans claim, they kick children on SNAP,” said Warnock. “ They want you to think that this is about able working men or whatever they were saying, as they were trying to push this bill, they kick two million children off of SNAP. And a child can’t learn when she’s hungry. And that’s tragic for that child.”
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