Federal Unionists: Release the $6 Billion — Feed the People

WASHINGTON, DC — Federal unionists are warning that the Trump administration’s refusal to release $6 billion in emergency contingency funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is putting nearly 42 million Americans at risk of hunger.

“One in eight people in this country rely on SNAP. This is not a partisan issue — it’s about whether families can eat,” said Ellen Mei, President of NTEU Chapter 255, FUN Organizer, and USDA employee who works in SNAP. “SNAP keeps working families, seniors, and people with disabilities from going hungry. The administration must release these funds immediately.”

SNAP, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, serves a diverse cross-section of America — working families, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. Yet in July, Trump slashed $186 billion from the program over ten years — gutting one of the most effective anti-hunger programs in the nation. Every dollar invested in SNAP generates up to $1.80 in economic activity, making each dollar in SNAP benefits returns nearly twice its value to the economy, boosting grocery sales, supporting jobs, and strengthening local communities.

“For the last nine months, this administration has been shutting down the very bedrock principles of a government for the people,” Mei said. “Now, even as federal workers are standing in line at food banks, we are also calling on the Administration to protect affordable healthcare, defend SNAP and vulnerable families, including furloughed federal workers, by releasing the $6 billion in emergency food aid immediately.”

This year also saw an unprecedented hollowing out of the very agency responsible for ensuring Americans don’t go hungry and that our country’s food system is robust and secure. The USDA has lost 18,000 employees since January through forced resignations and mass firings — many with decades of experience in food access and nutrition. Each separated worker represented an average of 12 years of service, meaning the loss of institutional knowledge, relationships, and expertise that make the system work.

Federal Unionists are Demanding that Congress:

• Release the $6 billion in emergency SNAP funds immediately.

• Prioritizes a budget with affordable healthcare for millions of Americans, our seniors, our communities, the people we serve

• Reverse illegal RIFs and restore staffing capacity across federal agencies.

• Protect and strengthen SNAP as an essential safety net for working families, seniors, and people with disabilities.

These workers represent the SNAP, scientists, veterans, analysts, and frontline employees who keep the government running, keep people fed, and ensure they have the healthcare that they deserve. 

These workers are suffering from a lack of pay and struggling to pay bills, but they’re urging Congress to hold the line to protect healthcare, protect SNAP and protect federal workers. 

Contacts: media@federalunionists.net

Anna Bakalis — 323.770.4477

Shaye Skiff — 270.300.4980 

The Federal Unionists Network (FUN) is a national movement of federal workers and allies working in coalition to defend public services and rebuild government for a more democratic, equitable, and just country.