Feeding America today issued the following statement in response to the release of President Barack Obama’s Fiscal Year 2017 Budget
Statement Attributable to Diana Aviv, CEO of Feeding America:
“President Obama’s FY 2017 budget proposal demonstrates an investment in America’s families and communities by strengthening programs that expand opportunity, improve health and reduce poverty.
“While unemployment has fallen to pre-recession levels, millions of Americans including low wage people employed part and full time are, making difficult choices between paying the rent, keeping the utilities turned on or buying food.
“For families who have fallen on hard times, Federal hunger-relief programs are indispensable. Programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP), school lunch and breakfast, summer meals and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) provide nourishment to people in every community in America.
“We are particularly pleased with the President’s proposal to strengthen access to summer meals, by providing a summer grocery card to low-income families with children. Currently, 82 percent of children receiving free and reduced price school meals are not being reached during the summer months. Summer EBT pilot projects have been tested and evaluated. The results demonstrated a one-third reduction in food insecurity among children and increased consumption of healthy foods. Expanding this program will help close the summer meal gap and ensure that more children are getting the nutrition they need to learn and grow when school is out.
“As Congress moves forward to reauthorize federal child nutrition programs this year, we urge its members to pass a strong child nutrition bill that makes the investments and improvements needed to end childhood hunger.
“We are also pleased that the budget provides additional investments in funding for TEFAP and senior nutrition programs.
“We are disappointed to see that, once again, the president’s budget calls for policy changes that would limit the positive impact of charitable giving from taxpayers. We are concerned that this could reduce giving at a pivotal time for our network.”
"We will continue to work with our supporters in Congress and our hunger-relief partners to strengthen and protect Federal hunger-relief programs and ensure that all of our neighbors have enough food to eat."
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About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 5.3 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on X.com.