Delaware’s federal representatives come out against Trump-backed food stamp cuts

• Delaware’s federal delegation criticized cuts to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program resulting from the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.”
• The cuts, projected to impact 37,000 Delawareans, are the largest in SNAP’s history and will reduce funding by over $186 billion through 2034.
• The delegation expressed concern about the expanded work requirements and increased burden on states to provide assistance.
• Food Bank of Delaware anticipates increased demand and reduced federal support, impacting their ability to serve those in need.

Delaware’s federal delegation was fired up at the Food Bank of Delaware on Friday morning.

The state’s Democratic federal delegation stood in front of volunteers of the food bank and spoke out against cuts to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP, or food stamps. Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Chris Coons, and Rep. Sarah McBride spoke at a press conference on July 11 at the Newark facility to address the passage of the Trump-backed “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” which features major cuts to Medicaid and SNAP eligibility.

They said 37,000 Delawareans could lose access to SNAP benefits.

“Last week, President Trump signed into law his so called Big, Beautiful Bill, which is going to have ugly consequences,” Coons said. “It will cost people their health care and their food. 37,000 will lose access to help making sure they’re not hungry.”

It is the largest cut to the program’s history, taking away over $186 billion through 2034, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Food stamps have been around since the Great Depression era, and SNAP was made permanent under President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The Delaware delegation voted against and said it intends to mitigate how cuts to SNAP affect Delaware. Coons said he will find ways to collaborate with state leaders. For him, it starts with educating people about what is actually in the gargantuan bill.

“I want to make sure that to the extent I can get answers out of the administration, I’m helping the state understand exactly what the impact is going to be,” Coons said.

SNAP benefits will be harder to come by with the new law because of expanded and stricter work requirements and a larger burden on individual states to provide assistance. It could have far-reaching consequences on lower-income families and individuals.

Census data estimates that 10% of Delaware residents live in poverty. For Blunt Rochester, the bill was “deceitful.”

“There is a reality that in Delaware, nearly half of the families that are receiving SNAP have children in them, and children can’t learn if they’re hungry,” she said.

McBride spoke about the cuts to the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which created cooperative agreements to provide funding for state governments to purchase foods produced within the state or region to help support local, and regional producers, according to the USDA.

She said the “win-win” program in Delaware was vital to supporting small farms in places with limited access to nutritious food.

“They dismantled the infrastructure that helps fuel our economy and feed our communities,” McBride said at the press conference “This is a betrayal. This budget portrays our values as Americans, and it portrays our values as state leaders.”

The Food Bank of Delaware is concerned about a rise in demand and less federal assistance to give it a boost. The Food Banks’s Vice President of External Affairs Chad Robinson said the cuts to SNAP and other food assistance programs will make it more difficult to put food on the table for some people.

“These cuts represent the equivalent of 6 billion meals, which is the amount that Feeding America gave nationally last year,” Robinson said. “So we’re going to do everything we can to make sure the Delawareans have an opportunity to have the food on their table that they need.”

McBride brought Newark resident Elizabeth Morales and her daughter with her. Morales said SNAP benefits gave her a way to get back on her feet despite being laid off in 2023. She called the cuts “theft,” and dispelled the notion that SNAP benefits are a “handout.”

“It doesn’t discourage people from working, whether they’re working, looking for work, or just trying to get through a hard season,” she said. “It helps people stay afloat.”

Shane Brennan covers Wilmington and other Delaware issues. Reach out with ideas, tips or feedback at slbrennan@delawareonline.com.