The US Senator Jim Justice (R-WV) speaks on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC (Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images), to reporters in the US Capitol.
As legislation, a food aid program that contributes to feeding thousands of state residents through the congress, calling for several interest groups, companies and organizations, Jim Justice, the Senator of West Virginia, to speak against the plan.
“In view of the fact that SNAP is the most effective anti-hunger program in the state, we ask you to oppose structural changes, cuts and efforts to weaken Snap.” An open letter with justice reads. “Cutting Snap would have devastating consequences for the 278,978 children, parents, older adults, veterans, people with disabilities and others in our state who rely on the program to keep hunger at bay.
“Research is clear: SNAP improves health results, reduces children’s hospital stays and developmental delays and supports the educational success. It also reduces health expenditure and helps to stabilize families in crisis and job losses,” they wrote.
The letter from the American Friends Service Committee Wednesday is signed by almost 60 food banks, compact companies, municipalities and organizations in West Virginia.
The US representative house adopted an invoice In the past month, this would reduce the supplementary nutritional program for food by 300 billion US dollars by 2034 and bring part of the program to the states to fell the states. The program is currently being financed exclusively by the federal government. The states share the costs for managing the program with the federal government.
The Senate Agriculture Committee, whose member is just a member, raised his admission this week Part of the Republican Tax and Household Supply Act. The legislation must still be coordinated by the full Senate. If the Senate passes the legislative template, the House of Representatives would have to unsubscribe all changes that the Senate makes.
The latest version of the legislation would still bring some of the costs of Snap to the States, but would do it Punish states less challenging As the version of the House of Representatives last month.
According to the house law, the federal government would shift between 5 and 25% of the costs for SNAP services to the state governments from 2028. Depending on the error rate of the state, this version of the invoice could bring the state’s error rate for 28 million US dollars and up to $ 141 million.
In the version of the Senate Agriculture Committee, most states would have to pay between 5 and 15% of the program for grocery services from 2028. Only those with an error rate of 6% would have to issue the program according to an analysis of the center for household and guideline priorities.
The Senate’s proposal would have up to 84 million US dollars in West Virginia, After the analysis.
“The cuts and cost layers in the house bill would lead to greater nutritional uncertainty and a larger place Even greater pressure on our food banks and charity organizations that are already trying to meet Demand, “says the letter.” Snap offers nine for each meal provided by a food bench. The non -profit food system of our state cannot fill the gap that is created by the size of these cuts. “
Justice this week told a reporter that cutting Snap the Republicans could cost their super majority.
“If we don’t be careful, people are hurt, people are annoyed. No. 1 will be everywhere in the night news,” it will be number 1. ” Justice said in an interview with politico on Tuesday. “And then we were able to raise a situation in this country very well in which the majority quickly become a minority.”
When a reporter from West Virginia asked a legal spokesman for a comment on the letter, he referred her to the comments from Justice to politico.
The Senate’s draft law also changes the exceptions to the work requirements. In the past, SNAP recipients with children were not subject to the work requirements for the program. The house version of the invoice expanded the work requirements on parents of children aged 7 and over. In the Senate version, parents of children aged 10 and over are subject to the requirements, said Kelly Allen, director of the West Virginia Center for household and politics.
The Senate’s draft law also eliminates the exceptions to the work requirements for people, including veterans, homeless, and gives the states more flexibility to give exceptions on a case base, all said.
All in all, “the Senate Agriculture Committee on the edges at the edges at the invoice that was adopted in the house last month, said Allen.
“It is still the biggest cut in history,” she said. “It is still a dramatic expansion of bureaucratic obstacles that lead to people losing food support, including households with children. And it is still erected that the obligation to finance SNAP advantages of the states at a time when the state budget is already crispy creates a rather significant burden on state legislators.”
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