Washington, D.C. – The country’s religious congregations will need to raise an additional $400,000 each year for the next ten years to make up for the proposed cuts to anti-hunger and poverty programs found in the administration’s fiscal year 2020 budget proposal, according to Bread for the World.
“There is no way our country’s 350,000 religious congregations can make up for the proposed cuts to programs that help people facing hunger and poverty, including children and the elderly,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “While religious congregations and charities play an important role, federal programs provide ten times more in food assistance.”
The proposed budget would cut $1.4 trillion from domestic and international assistance programs over ten years. Domestically, these cuts include $220 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), $1.1 trillion from Medicaid, and $1.7 billion from child nutrition programs such as school meals.
The proposed budget cuts to international humanitarian and development assistance include a reduction of $66.5 million to global nutrition programs and a $508 million cut to Feed the Future – nearly a halving of both programs. The budget eliminates the McGovern-Dole international school feeding program and the Food for Progress program.
“A budget is more than a financial statement—it is a statement of our nation’s priorities and values. It should be measured on how it treats the most vulnerable people among us,” Beckmann said.
A high-resolution version of the graphic is available upon request.
