Virginia Leaders Speak Out Against SNAP Cuts Threatening Families, Veterans, and Local Communities

Virginia leaders and community advocates gathered at a press event in Richmond to sound the alarm on devastating federal budget cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The HR1 bill is set to slash $187 billion from the program by 2034, and will strip critical food support from millions of Americans, including more than 440,000 Virginia families. 

Children and Families at Risk

SNAP is a lifeline for families struggling to afford groceries, but it also determines access to free school meals. Reducing these benefits means children will face hunger both at home and in the classroom—threatening their nutrition, health, and academic success.

Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan highlighted, “A study published this year found that SNAP helps protect kids from developing heart disease, but rather than Making America Healthy Again, this historic cut to SNAP will do just the opposite.”

Asia Broadie, a Virginia mother and SNAP recipient, described the reality many families face: “I have to rely on SNAP to help me feed my kids so that I can make ends meet. Taking people’s food away from them is so cruel. My kids are doing well in school because they’re obviously fed. They can get some fresh fruit in the morning before heading out to school. I want my kids to have a nice career one day and SNAP helps them focus in class, to be able to do that.”

Impact on Veterans

The cuts also impose stricter work-reporting requirements on nearly 35,000 military veterans in Virginia who rely on SNAP. State Senator Ghazala Hashmi underscored the injustice: “No veteran who has served this country should ever have to worry about going hungry in this country.”

Ripple Effects on Local Economies

Local businesses, particularly those in underserved communities, are also bracing for the economic fallout. Derek Houston, CEO of The Market at 25th in Richmond, warned that the cuts could force smaller independent grocery stores to close—further reducing access to healthy foods in areas already considered food deserts.

“Independent grocery stores operate on slim margins. When you have low margins and high fixed costs, you have to have high volume. In any given month, over 20% of our sales are paid for with SNAP dollars. Without SNAP I don’t know if we could still make it.”