At Hearing, Senator Murray Slams Trump and Republicans for Abandoning Veterans Who Rely On SNAP, Discusses Support for Veterans’ Transition to Civilian Life

At Hearing, Senator Murray Slams Trump and Republicans for Abandoning Veterans Who Rely On SNAP, Discusses Support for Veterans' Transition to Civilian Life

Trump is refusing to allow SNAP benefits to flow despite available funding-1.2 million veterans rely on SNAP, 40 percent of whom are disabled

***WATCH: Senator Murray's exchange at the hearing***

Washington, D.C. - Today, at a Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs hearing to examine efforts to support transitioning servicemembers, veterans and their families, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)-a former chair and senior member of the committee-emphasized how veterans who rely on SNAP are being hurt by President Trump blocking SNAP benefits despite available funding, and questioned witnesses on how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can provide better support to veterans during their transition to civilian life.

Appearing at the hearing as witnesses were: Jason Galui, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.), Director, George W. Bush Institute; Mike Hutchings, CEO, Combined Arms; Jared Lyon, National President & CEO, Student Veterans of America; Barbara Carson, Colonel (Ret.), U.S. Air Force Reserve Managing Director, D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University; Elizabeth O'Brien, Director, Hiring Our Heroes; and Holly Hermes, Yale University Liaison for Veteran and Military Affairs.

[TRUMP BLOCKING SNAP, HURTING VETERANS]

"Let me echo something Senator Blumenthal talked about, and really point out something that I think has not gotten enough attention, and that is that 1.2 million veterans rely on SNAP. That is, about a third of them are over the age of 65, and forty percent are disabled.

"We know right now that President Trump is blocking them from getting the SNAP benefits they need so they don't go hungry.

"The money to fund SNAP exists. Trump has chosen not to use that funding, and his administration said they're going to do partial benefits-they'd be late-and then he posted yesterday on Truth Social that he's decided to block benefits altogether.

"So now we are, of course, hearing reports of veterans flocking to food banks. They're not sure where their next meal is going to come from.

"Mr. Chairman, my family was one of those families. My dad was a veteran. He got multiple sclerosis, and we had to rely on food stamps for a while, so this is not something we should tolerate.

"The money exists. It is supposed to go out, and I hope every member of this committee lets the administration know that they need that money to get out."

Senator Murray continued by asking Jared Lyon, National President & CEO of Student Veterans of America, about the impact that President Trump's refusal to fund SNAP benefits is having on student veterans in particular: "So Mr. Lyon, let me just ask you about that. What are you hearing from your members who do rely on SNAP, and tell me why it's so important to student veterans in particular?"

"At Student Veterans of America, we leverage a lot of research, and basic needs has been something that we've been looking into for the better part of the last five years. Food and housing insecurity are remaining challenges for veterans in higher education," Mr. Lyon replied. "The GI bill is designed for a single person that heads back to school, and when you look at the modern student veteran, over half are married or in a committed relationship with children when they head back to school. Another 20 percent of us are single parents when we're back in school, and over 75 percent of us are working full-time while we are in school, just trying to make ends meet. It is very difficult to transition without a military pension, without health care for life, and that is what the average veteran is doing when they head back to school. So, it's no surprise to see benefits like SNAP and other things being relied on while you're back in school and trying to make ends meet. When those benefits go away, veterans are impacted-and more than that, their family members that rely on these benefits are impacted as well."

"Thank you for sharing that. And again, I urge all of our committee members to let the Administration know that money's there. They're legally required to obligate it. Get it out. We have people who need that," Senator Murray replied.

[BARRIERS FACING WOMEN VETERANS]

Senator Murray continued her questioning by asking Colonel Hermes about the barriers female veterans face when seeking civilian employment: "Let me ask about, Colonel Hermes, about women veterans. They are the fastest-growing demographic of veterans. And I personally have heard from many women veterans that when they return home to civilian life, people don't respect their service or assume that they are a military spouse, not the actual veteran. And it is disturbing that we now have a Secretary of Defense who takes every opportunity to insult women who've been in the military. And that really, I believe, adds to the barriers that women face now when they return to civilian life. So, talk to us a little bit about some of the barriers that women veterans in particular face when they come home and seek civilian employment."

"That is a very important question for our society to wrestle with," Colonel Hermes replied. "In our group of enlisted student veterans… we have a very small number of women, and I even say parents, or families, because it is very difficult, just like Mr. Lyon mentioned, to support a family while you're going to college. The GI benefits, the federal benefits that we're able to give even institutionally, can't support some families as they leave the military. So that's a huge challenge, and I think that's something that our society needs to keep wrestling with. And we could talk to the VA about programs that could support that in the future nationwide, not just at one school or another."

"Thank you very much. I have run out of time, but this is something I'm very concerned about-when we hear discussions about DEI, and then it impacts women who we need in our in our military. And not just then, but when they come home and they are veteran, they actually don't want to identify as a veteran, or don't see themselves as a veteran, and they then don't get the services and benefits that they've earned," Senator Murray said.

Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee-as the daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for her. Senator Murray has been a leading voice in the Senate speaking out forcefully against President Trump and Elon Musk's mass firing of VA employees and VA researchers across the country and Elon Musk and DOGE's infiltration of the VA, including accessing veterans' sensitive personal information. After pressing Doug Collins on EHR and protecting women's access to VA health care, including lifesaving abortion care, at his nomination hearing, Senator Murray voted against Doug Collins's nomination to be VA Secretary-sounding the alarm over Elon Musk and DOGE's activities at the VA and making clear that the Trump administration's lawlessness is putting our national security and our veterans at risk. Senator Murray released a report earlier this year on how Trump's mass firings at VA are hurting veterans' services and health care in Washington state and across the country. And in August, Senator Murray slammed the Trump administration's move to ban abortion care at VA, even when a veteran's pregnancy is putting their health at risk or is the result of rape or incest.

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