Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher Joins Congresswoman Jahana Hayes and Congresswoman Angie Craig in Effort Demanding Trump Administration Immediately Fund Food Assistance

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) joined House Committee on Agriculture Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02), Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Ranking Member Jahana Hayes (CT-05), and 211 of their Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins demanding that the Trump administration stop using hunger as a political weapon and use the funding already available to them to continue running the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-previously known as food stamps-during the government shutdown. Recently, the Trump administration notified Texas and other states that it will run out of SNAP federal funding on November 1 because of the government shutdown, putting the 42 million Americans who rely on it at risk of going hungry. The Trump administration has the power to use emergency funds to continue running SNAP in November, but has so far not chosen to do so.

"Now more than ever, millions of families across the country depend upon the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to make ends meet," the members wrote. "For far too many veterans, seniors, and children, SNAP benefits are the difference between having food or not. Now, due to the government shutdown, they are facing crippling levels of uncertainty about whether they will be able to afford food next month. A potential lapse in benefits would be felt by Americans of all ages and affect every corner and congressional district in the country."

"We urge USDA to use these funds for November SNAP benefits and issue clear guidance to states on how to navigate benefit issuance," the members continued. "Additionally, while the contingency reserve will not cover November benefits in full, we urge USDA to use its statutory transfer authority or any other legal authority at its disposal to supplement these dollars and fully fund November benefits. There are clear steps the administration can and must take immediately to ensure that millions of families across the country can put food on their table in November. Choosing not to ensure SNAP benefits reach those in need this November would be a gross dereliction of your responsibilities to the American people."

Texas ranks second in the country for the highest number of SNAP recipients, with 3.5 million Texans-including 1.7 million children-receiving benefits. In Houston, more than half of the recipients are children under the age of 18 and another 11 percent are seniors over the age of 65. If the Trump administration fails to act, 35,219 households in Texas' Seventh Congressional District risk not being able to put food on the table next month.