No one in the wealthiest nation on Earth should have to wonder where their next meal will come from. Yet millions of our neighbors face that uncertainty as sweeping cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enacted in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act threaten access to the food they need to survive and thrive.

The law slashes nearly $187 billion from SNAP over ten years, representing the largest reduction to the nation's most important anti-hunger program in its history. These cuts impose new barriers to food assistance, expand punitive work requirements, reduce benefits, and shift billions of dollars in costs onto already-strained state governments.

The consequences are profound. Children, older adults, people with disabilities, veterans, working families, and neighbors experiencing homelessness are among those who may face greater food insecurity as these changes take effect. Food banks, churches, and community organizations cannot possibly replace the scale of assistance provided by SNAP.

As Christians, we cannot accept hunger as the price of balancing a federal budget. In Matthew 25:35, Jesus declares, "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink." Christ calls us not merely to offer charity to those who hunger, but to pursue justice by challenging the policies and systems that perpetuate poverty and food insecurity.

The United Church of Christ has long affirmed that access to adequate, nutritious food is a fundamental matter of human dignity and economic justice. Feeding the hungry is not simply an act of compassion. It is a moral responsibility shared by our communities and our government.

Congress has the power and the obligation to reverse these cuts before more families lose access to essential nutrition assistance. Lawmakers must restore SNAP funding, eliminate harmful eligibility restrictions, protect benefit adequacy, and preserve the federal government's longstanding commitment to fighting hunger.

Our neighbors cannot afford to wait. Tell your members of Congress to reverse the SNAP cuts enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and protect every person's right to nutritious food.