San Antonio Food Bank CEO Michael Guerra speaks to members of the media at his organization’s Friday press conference. Credit: Julián P. Ledezma

Even though the Senate is weighing a possible decrease in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) outlined in Republicans’ massive spending package, the funding reduction still would devastate low-income local families and the nonprofits who aid them, San Antonio Food Bank officials said Friday.

The Food Bank joined Alamo City leaders — including educators, retired military personnel and officials with corporations including H-E-B and USAA — in asking federal lawmakers to reject the proposed cuts in the budget reconciliation bill, which President Trump wants on his desk by July 4.

Even scaled back, the proposal would decimate SNAP — often referred to as Food Stamps — cutting off nutrition assistance for children, seniors and veterans, Food Bank CEO Eric Cooper told the Current. His organizations and others like it simply don’t have the resources to make up for the missing federal funding, he added.

“Should these cuts go through, the demand on us for food would double,” Cooper said. “The amount recommended in the cuts is equal to the amount of food we distribute in a year’s time. It would be catastrophic and devastating. One way to think about SNAP is that for every one meal we distribute, SNAP provides nine.”

While the Senate Agriculture Committee this week proposed scaling back the introduction of work requirements for parents of dependent children in the SNAP program, it still would shift more of the responsibility to the states, many of which are already budget-strapped and would seek ways to limit the access.

Officials with Feeding Texas, an umbrella organization for 20 food banks statewide, said the proposed cuts come as local hunger-fighting nonprofits struggle to keep up with a demand surge unmatched since the height of the pandemic. The proposed Senate changes related to SNAP don’t go nearly far enough and still would punish families already struggling to make ends meet, according to the organization.

“If enacted, this bill would represent the largest rollback of food assistance in U.S. history, slashing an estimated $211 billion from SNAP and shifting billions in costs to states like Texas,” CEO Celia Cole said in an emailed statement. “The consequences would be profound. Millions of Americans — including children, seniors, veterans, and working families — could go hungry. In addition to the significant and undue harm for vulnerable Americans, the bill also deals a blow to farmers, grocers and our state and local economies.”

Cole urged lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to reject the bill.

“A federal budget should reflect our nation’s shared values of dignity, opportunity, and a commitment to ensuring that no one in this country goes hungry,” she said. “Lawmakers must come together to craft a more balanced and compassionate path forward — one that protects access to food for all.”

As now written, the bill seeks to “balance the budget on the backs of the poor,” the Food Bank’s Cooper said.

“Hunger isn’t a red or a blue issue, it’s a red, white and blue issue,” he said. “It’s a challenge for America. It’s not a partisan issue. Congress should come together on this as a team and do the right thing.”

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This article appears in Jun 12-25, 2025.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...