NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill is now law and officials at THRIVE Peninsula are voicing their concerns about the approved cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Food banks across the country say the bill's cuts to SNAP benefits will increase their burden.
"Our calls are going to go up. The demand for our services are going to go up," said Angela York, THRIVE Peninsula Executive Director.
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This bill increased the SNAP work requirement age to 64 while updating the eligibility for parents with children aged 14 or older. These changes could cause up to 22.3 million families to lose SNAP benefits, according to the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan policy research provider.
THRIVE Peninsula is a local nonprofit that provides access to fresh and healthy food for Peninsula families facing food insecurity, an issue that officials are worried may increase in the future.
"This is the wrong time to take support away from people. We've seen a drop off in some of our Spanish speaking families who may be afraid to come out. Our Hispanic families who may not be documented but looking for support are going to be more hesitant to come out and get the food that they need," York expressed. "We're going to have to be creative in ways that we can reach them so everyone has enough to eat."
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The bill will also force states to support at least 5% of SNAP benefit cost starting in the next 3 years. In the meantime, THRIVE leaders are encouraging people to donate food and become a volunteer with the hopes they can fill the gap.
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