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Trump’s Megabill Stirs Hunger Fears for SNAP Families

📌 STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Trump’s fiscal bill proposes $230 billion in SNAP cuts over 10 years.
States would be responsible for 5% of SNAP benefits starting 2028.
The bill raises the work requirement age to 64 and impacts parents with kids over 6.
Democratic governors from 23 states urge Congress to stop the cuts.
Nonprofits warn of rising food insecurity and overwhelmed food pantries.
SNAP helps over 40 million people, including 1.8 million New Yorkers.

As the House of Representatives moves ahead with procedural votes on former President Donald Trump’s massive tax and immigration package, a political and humanitarian storm is brewing over one of the bill’s most contentious components — significant proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The legislation, which cleared the Senate in a razor-thin vote Tuesday night with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie, has set off alarms among Congressional Democrats, food policy experts, nonprofit leaders, and state officials. They warn that if passed, the bill would fundamentally alter the federal government’s longstanding role in combating hunger, pushing an enormous financial burden onto states and leaving millions of Americans without essential food assistance.

A New Funding Formula That Could Reshape Hunger Relief

At the heart of the controversy is a fundamental shift in how SNAP would be financed. The bill proposes that, beginning in 2028, states must contribute at least 5% of the cost of SNAP benefits — a program that, for over five decades, has been entirely funded by the federal government.

This change, according to critics, not only redefines fiscal responsibility between federal and state governments but places many states in a precarious position.

Currently, SNAP serves more than 40 million low-income Americans, offering crucial assistance in purchasing food. With food prices still climbing and household budgets strained, any reduction in aid or access could prove catastrophic for millions.

Democrats Attempt to Block the SNAP Cuts

In response to the Senate vote, House Democrats on Wednesday proposed an amendment that would protect SNAP and Medicaid from any reductions. While largely symbolic, the move underscores mounting resistance to what many see as an attack on the nation’s most vulnerable.

“The bill puts our seniors, our children, and our working families at risk,” said a Democratic House member during floor debate. “We are not just talking about numbers on a spreadsheet — we are talking about real people losing real meals.”

Governors Push Back: “An Impossible Ultimatum”

Opposition to the cuts has also arrived from state governments. In a letter dated June 24, 23 Democratic governors collectively warned congressional leaders about the potentially devastating consequences of the SNAP cost-shift.

The governors described the proposal as a rupture in a 50-year-old federal-state relationship.

“Congress has proposed profoundly changing the relationship between the federal government and states — by shifting unprecedented costs to states for the first time in SNAP’s history,” the letter read.

They argued that states, many of which are already navigating tight budgets, would be faced with an impossible choice: either raise taxes or cut essential services to meet the new obligations — or exit the SNAP program entirely.

“Cuts to SNAP will mean that millions of Americans won’t get the food they need for their families. And it will result in too many Americans forced to survive rather than thrive,” the governors concluded.

Nonprofits Warn of Long-Term Fallout

The nonprofit community is also sounding the alarm. The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), a national advocacy group focused on hunger and poverty, labeled the Senate passage of the bill as “devastating.”

In a public statement, FRAC President Crystal FitzSimons detailed how the bill would slash billions from the program, tighten eligibility, and increase state-level costs.

“This legislation not only extends Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy and adds $5 trillion to the debt ceiling — it takes food assistance away from people in need,” she said.

FitzSimons emphasized the impossible choices states would face.

“States with already overstretched budgets will be forced to reduce public services, raise taxes, or cut SNAP access for some or all,” she added.

She also warned of ripple effects on child nutrition programs, including school meals and the federally funded Summer EBT, which provides grocery support to families during school vacations.

Real-World Impact in New York: City Harvest Responds

In New York City, where over 1.8 million residents rely on SNAP, local organizations are bracing for the fallout. City Harvest, the city’s largest food rescue nonprofit, described the proposed changes as “unprecedented and dangerous.”

“These cuts will have a devastating effect on New Yorkers and people across the country who are already struggling to put food on the table,” said City Harvest CEO Jilly Stephens.

She highlighted the imbalance between federal aid and what food charities can provide.

“For every meal that food banks provide, SNAP provides nine,” she explained. “SNAP not only reduces food insecurity but stimulates the local economy.”

Stephens added that cuts to SNAP-Ed, the education arm of the program, would undercut City Harvest’s ability to offer classes that teach low-income families how to prepare nutritious meals using the food they receive.

“Food pantries, local partners, and the charitable food system cannot make up the gap in demand that these cuts would create,” she said.

Chefs Speak Out on Nutrition and SNAP-Ed

The culinary community has also joined the debate. Marc Vetri, a nationally known Philadelphia-based chef and author, expressed concern over the elimination of SNAP-Ed.

In a social media post, Vetri referenced his nonprofit, the Vetri Community Partnership, which delivers food education and wellness initiatives in schools.

“In our SNAP program, we collaborate with school leaders to reach wellness goals with evidence-based hands-on cooking classes, school garden curriculum, and fruit and vegetable promotion,” he wrote.

He cautioned that stripping away SNAP-Ed funding would directly hurt children and families already struggling with food access.

Looking Ahead

As the House continues deliberations on Trump’s fiscal megabill, the debate around SNAP has evolved beyond a political issue — it now reflects a broader conversation about national values, responsibilities, and how the country treats its most vulnerable.

While proponents of the bill argue that the cuts aim to eliminate waste and fraud, opponents fear the human cost could be far greater.

What remains clear is that the proposed legislation could reshape the future of food assistance in America — and leave states and communities scrambling to fill a potentially massive void.

As Trump’s tax and spending megabill inches closer to becoming law, the nation stands at a critical crossroads. The proposed overhaul of SNAP threatens to unravel a long-standing federal commitment to feeding America’s most vulnerable. While supporters defend the plan as a necessary fiscal shift, critics warn it could unleash a wave of food insecurity, strain state budgets, and burden already overwhelmed food banks. In a country where millions rely on food aid to survive, the true cost of this legislation may be measured not in dollars—but in empty plates.

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Bernie Sanders Stunned as Trump Declares Iran Strikes Mid-Rally

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Trump announced U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear sites during Sanders’ Tulsa rally.
Sanders interrupted mid-speech, read Trump’s post aloud, and called it “grossly unconstitutional.”
Trump declared “a full payload of BOMBS” was dropped; all U.S. planes reportedly exited Iran airspace safely.
A bipartisan War Powers Resolution seeks to restrict unauthorized military action in Iran.
Sanders reaffirmed “only Congress can declare war” and urged focus on U.S. domestic problems.
He warned against Netanyahu’s influence on U.S. military policy, labeling recent Israeli actions as violations of international law.
Rally was part of Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” tour aimed at flipping Republican-held districts.

At what began as an energized and focused political rally in Tulsa on Saturday evening, Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was mid-sentence, passionately speaking against economic inequality and oligarchy in America, when the atmosphere abruptly shifted. An aide stepped onto the stage, handed him a slip of paper, and the crowd quickly sensed something was amiss.

The message was urgent — and stunning. President Donald Trump had taken to Truth Social to announce that the United States had conducted successful airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. The news broke in real time, leaving both Sanders and his audience visibly shaken.

The announcement read:
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.”

Sanders paused, rereading the statement, and shook his head as the crowd absorbed the implications. It was a jarring moment, especially in the middle of a rally focused on domestic issues like health care, wealth disparity, and corporate influence in politics. Suddenly, foreign policy took center stage.

The crowd erupted into a chant:
“No more wars! No more wars!”

Trump’s post continued with celebratory military language, stating:
“All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

The tone, Sanders implied, was triumphalist — and deeply troubling. After briefly gathering himself, the Vermont senator addressed the crowd once again, his voice now charged with frustration.

“This is not only alarming — it is so grossly unconstitutional,” he declared.
“All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the U.S. Congress. The president does not have the right.”

In response to Trump’s move, members of both major parties in Congress voiced concern over the legality of such an action. Sanders joined this chorus, aligning with a bipartisan coalition calling out the president’s apparent disregard for constitutional protocol. A War Powers Resolution had already been introduced earlier in the week, amid rising fears over potential U.S. military involvement in ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran.

The proposed resolution seeks to remove U.S. Armed Forces from “unauthorized hostilities” in Iran and demands that the president end military actions not explicitly approved by Congress.“The American people do not want more war, more death!” Sanders exclaimed.

“It might be a good idea if we concentrated on the problems that exist in Oklahoma and Vermont rather than getting involved in another war that the American people do not want.”

While Sanders acknowledged the gravity of the moment, he urged the crowd not to lose sight of the broader mission of his tour. The “Fighting Oligarchy” rally in Tulsa was part of a larger campaign to build grassroots opposition to what he sees as an aggressive and anti-democratic policy agenda by the Trump-led GOP. Despite the night’s dramatic detour, Sanders ended on a note of persistence and unity.

“In this moment in American history, what we have got to do in Vermont and Oklahoma, in Texas, all over this country, is stand up and fight back, and tell them this is our country!”

he said, drawing strong applause from the crowd.

Earlier this week, Sanders had already made his position on escalating military tensions clear, criticizing Israel’s preemptive strikes against Iran and cautioning against U.S. involvement. On social media, he addressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s influence on American policy.

“Netanyahu is not the President of the United States,” Sanders wrote.

“He should not be determining U.S. foreign and military policy. If the people of Israel support his decision to start a war with Iran, that is their business and their war. The United States must not be a part of it.”

He went further, condemning Netanyahu’s conduct following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, stating that the Israeli leader’s retaliatory military decisions in Gaza and Iran had violated international law.

“It’s just his latest violation,” Sanders said during an interview, adding that Netanyahu’s actions made him “look like a war criminal.”

Saturday’s Tulsa event was the second of the day for Sanders, part of a broader Southern swing that includes rallies in key Republican strongholds. The tour, which began earlier this year, reflects a growing Democratic strategy to bring progressive messages to deep red districts.

Rep. Greg Casar, D-Tx., and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Tx., are expected to join Sanders in Texas for events on Sunday. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., previously joined the tour during its Western phase. The goal is to build momentum by reaching beyond traditional blue territories, a method also employed by Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., and supported by the Democratic National Committee’s “People’s Town Halls” initiative.

Before arriving in Tulsa, Sanders made a stop in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s hometown of Shreveport, La., continuing his push to confront Republican leadership on their home turf.

Though the evening took an unexpected turn, Sanders’ message remained consistent: American democracy, he argued, must be defended both from corporate dominance at home and reckless foreign policy abroad.

As tensions mount and questions of constitutional authority resurface, Senator Bernie Sanders’ impromptu reaction has spotlighted the fragile balance between presidential power and congressional oversight. With chants echoing against war and Sanders reaffirming the public’s demand for peace, the Tulsa rally became more than a campaign stop — it became a reflection of a nation caught between conflict abroad and uncertainty at home. As the dust settles from the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, the debate over America’s role in global warfare is once again front and center.