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Citing a Hunger ‘Crisis,’ U.S. Mayors Call for End to Federal SNAP Cuts - The Mexico Ledger
The 210 signatories say the law has already pushed more than 4 million Americans off SNAP and could cost states billions.
More than 200 mayors from the United States Conference of Mayors asked the Senate agriculture committee this week to reconsider deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enacted in last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
President Donald Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' implemented massive cuts to SNAP and Medicaid to extend tax cuts, a move fiscal experts warn is reducing food aid far more drastically than originally predicted.
Nationwide SNAP participation fell by more than 4.5 million people between the law's July 2025 enactment and April 2026, while new requirements penalizing states with error rates above 6% could cost local governments more than $9 billion.
Matt Tuerk, the Democratic mayor of Allentown, Pennsylvania, said his constituents struggle with rising housing, utility, and grocery costs, while the mayors' letter described municipal governments as being on the 'front lines of a deepening food security crisis.'
While federal officials argue the changes root out fraud and waste, the law requires states to fund SNAP benefits themselves starting in fall 2027, raising concerns about sustainability without adequate replacements for food assistance.