In 2025, millions of Americans became worried about how long they could keep putting food on the table due to uncertainty about whether Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would continue to receive governmental funding due to the government shutdown.
According to an article from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), “Snap offers more than 40 million low-income Americans money each month to buy groceries. According to the USDA [U.S. Department of Agriculture], in 2023, almost three-quarters of SNAP recipients had a gross monthly income at or below the poverty level” (bbc.com).
According to an article published by National Public Radio, “For most people, SNAP is the only money they get directly… The only thing that really helps moderate-income and low-income Americans meet their basic monthly expenses is the SNAP program. And that’s why it’s so vital, not only in terms of fighting hunger, but just keeping tens of millions of Americans afloat each month” (npr.org).
Senior Michelle Salgado said, “Reading about the extinction of EBT [Electronic Benefits Transfer] benefits really hit me because my family actually uses EBT to help us get food. For us, the EBT card isn’t just some government program, it’s how we make sure there’s food in the house every week. My parents work hard, but the money they make isn’t always enough. Groceries are expensive, and without EBT, there are days we probably won’t have enough to eat.”
Salgado said, “If EBT were taken away, it wouldn’t just be something small. We would be struggling. The stress of not knowing if we’ll have enough food is already hard sometimes, and losing EBT would make it even worse. When food is low, the whole house feels heavy, because everyone ‘knows.’ You worry more, you feel embarrassed, and sometimes I even feel guilty for things I had no control over.”
“A lot of people don’t understand that EBT isn’t something we use because we want to. It’s something we need. It helps us get by. It keeps the fridge from being empty. It makes sure the younger kids in my family are always fed. If the government ends EBT, real families like mine are the ones who will feel it the most, not people who already have money. That’s why I feel like instead of taking it away, we should be making it easier for families to get the support they need. Food isn’t a luxury. It’s something everybody deserves,” said Salgado.
According to an article from the BBC about SNAP benefits pausing during the government shutdown, “In failing to fully fund the food assistance program that covers 42 million low-income Americans, U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell Jr. said the government ‘failed to consider the harmed individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer.’ He also said President Trump showed ‘intent to defy a court order’ when he posted on Truth Social this week that SNAP benefits would not restart until after the federal shutdown was over, a comment that was walked back by the White House” (bbc.com).
Senior Anthony Cabrera said, “This matters to me because my family uses EBT. Without it, we wouldn’t always have enough food. Stuff at the store is expensive, and my parents already try their best. If they take EBT away, it would make things harder for us. We don’t use it for extra stuff, just so we can eat. This would really impact families, especially one like mine.”