West Virginia Groups Urge Senator Justice to Oppose SNAP Cuts
This story is adapted from a press release issued by the American Friends Service Committee. St. John’s Episcopal Church is one of nearly 60 West Virginia organizations that signed the letter to Senator Justice opposing SNAP cuts. Individuals can also personally take action by visiting https://secure.afsc.org/a/federalbudget. For more information, contact Lida Shepherd at (304) 356-8428.
The Senate Agriculture committee unveiled their proposal late Wednesday evening that would put West Virginia on the hook to cover up to $85 million for the SNAP program by 2028, and take SNAP assistance away from thousands of West Virginia families who are already struggling to keep up with rising costs of food.
As stated in an open letter sent to Senator Justice yesterday by the American Friends Service Committee, and signed by nearly 60 food banks, small businesses, congregations, and organizations in West Virginia, this cost-shifting would be an unfunded mandate to the state.
The Senate Agriculture’s proposal also includes an expanded work reporting requirement, which would result in thousands of families with children, as well as seniors and veterans being no longer exempt from strict reporting requirements. The provisions put forth by the Senate Agriculture committee would for the first time subject parents and other caregivers with children over age 9 — as well as older adults aged 55 to 64 — to burdensome paperwork requirements that would lead to loss of SNAP benefits after only three months.
The research is clear that work reporting and additional paperwork requirements for people on SNAP disqualify people from the program who can’t navigate through the additional red tape. Given the fact that over 400 miners were laid off in southern West Virginia in the past month alone should be a clarion call to Senators Justice and Capito that cutting people off SNAP is tantamount to kicking people while they’re down.
Senator Justice told reporters with Politico earlier this week, “If we don’t watch out, people are going to get hurt, people are going to be upset. It’s going to be the No.1 thing on the nightly news all over the place.”
While advocates and signatories of the open letter were heartened to hear the Senator’s concerns, the Senate Agriculture committee’s proposal paints a dire picture for local economies, working families, and the state’s ability to ensure vulnerable people are fed. The open letter to Senator Justice is an urgent call that he stand firm against these sweeping changes to SNAP. The open letter can be viewed here.
Some of the signatories of the letter are residents of Greenbrier County, home of Senator Justice. Abigail Spangler, the Executive Director of Wellspring of Greenbrier Inc. in Rupert, WV, explained why cutting SNAP would be devastating to the people she serves:
“I see hundreds of families every month who rely on SNAP to meet their food needs. From unhoused and transient individuals, to elderly couples and large families with multiple children, these residents will suffer if these cuts to SNAP are approved. Local food pantries and organizations like ours cannot bridge the gap in food access the cuts would create; we need support from federal government to continue meeting the needs of our friends and neighbors.”
Tommye Lou and Richard Rafes, owners of T. L. Fruits and Vegetables in Caldwell, WV, have been farming dense nutrient fruits and vegetables in Greenbrier County since 2011. She describes how the cuts would impact small farms like hers, and the importance of the WVU Extension Family Nutrition Program, a program the House version of the budget reconciliation bill cuts entirely:
“In 2022 Greenbrier County had over 6,000 people receiving SNAP benefits. We have a total population of 33,000 which means that almost one out of every five citizens in our county relies on SNAP benefits. Food insecurity will rise, making healthy food less accessible and affordable. As local farmers, we will lose business while the health outcomes of our county will worsen. SNAP-ED teaches families and children how to prepare nutritious meals, which is especially important in our state due to the high rates of diet-related illnesses. Without this program, long-term medical costs will inevitably rise.”
Saint James Episcopal Church in Lewisburg, WV has been assisting with the Lewisburg/Fairlea food locker for over a decade. Reverend Zach Drennen, the rector of Saint James, spoke about the moral imperative to support programs like SNAP:
“The scriptures of our tradition tell us that Jesus taught his disciples to see the Divine in all humanity, particularly the hungry, the impoverished, and the stranger (foreigner) — and that by feeding, clothing, and welcoming ‘the least of these,’ we welcome Christ himself. So while we strive to create a society in which all people can feed and clothe themselves, the reality is that, whether through un-(or under)-employment, mental illness, economic hardships, or addiction, many cannot. As people of faith, it is incumbent upon us to provide the food and shelter necessary for all to live a dignified life while we strive to create a more just world.”
Along with the letter, the group is requesting that prior to voting on the Senate’s budget reconciliation bill, Senator Justice meet with the miners, families, small farmers, and food pantry directors who would be impacted were the Senate to pass a budget reconciliation bill that includes major changes and cuts to SNAP.
American Friends Service Committee emailed the letter to Senator Jim Justice on June 11th on behalf of nearly 60 signatories including Catholic Charities-WV; ABLE Families of Mingo County; The Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia; Doddridge County Farmer’s Market; Greenbrier County Health Alliance; Mercer County Coalition for Healthy Communities; Let’s Grow Together Demonstration Garden; American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Welch Charge of the United Methodist Church (full list of signatories found at bottom of letter linked here).
