Urging Congress to Protect SNAP from Cuts and Funding Shifts in the 2025 Budget Reconciliation
Adopted at the 93rd Annual Meeting in 2025
WHEREAS, SNAP is the largest anti-hunger program in the United States, providing critical assistance to more than 42 million low-income Americans; and
WHEREAS, 14 million children, or 1 in 5 U.S. children participate in SNAP, and 66% of all SNAP households contain children;
WHEREAS, eligibility for SNAP is limited to households with a gross income under 130% of the federal poverty guidelines, which is about $41,795 for a family of four; and
WHEREAS, according to the USDA Economic Research Service, each $1 in SNAP creates as much as $1.80 in total economic activity as benefits are spent in grocery stores; and
WHEREAS, every $1 billion in SNAP benefits creates 13,560 jobs across our farming, trucking, grocery, and other sectors; and
WHEREAS, 84% of SNAP families had at least one person working in the past 12 months, but the average SNAP household had an annual gross income of only $10,464; and
WHEREAS, the Thrifty Food Plan, a set of standards reflective of the real-life costs to maintain a nutritious diet, was revised by the USDA in 2021 for the first time in 45 years since being introduced in 1975, increasing the value of SNAP benefits by 21%; and
WHEREAS, the Community Eligibility Provision, linked to receipt of SNAP and other public benefits, enabled 47,766 schools in 7,717 school districts to provide free school meals to 23.6 million children in 2023-24, increasing participation from families and easing implementation for school administrators; and
WHEREAS, taken together, potential cuts to SNAP that are being considered by Congress as part of the Budget Reconciliation package would harm numerous economic sectors in the nation's Cities and reduce City residents' quality of life nationwide; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors urges Congress to protect SNAP and school nutrition programs from cuts and funding shifts to states in the Budget Reconciliation process; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Mayors strongly oppose proposals to increase the work requirements on SNAP recipients, which do little to improve employability or self-sufficiency, and actually increase food insecurity; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Mayors strongly oppose proposals to roll back the Thrifty Food Plan revisions enacted in 2021 and urge retention of the annual process to revise the plan based on increased food costs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Mayors urge Congress to reject the establishment of State shares of cost for SNAP benefits or higher penalties for errors, which would result in cuts to benefits and increased hunger in many states, and instead preserve the current, longstanding funding structure for SNAP; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the United States Congress of Mayors supports the passage of a balanced and fair Federal budget that incorporates the following principles: Protect the value of SNAP benefits, maintain and increase equitable access to SNAP and school nutrition programs, while streamlining access to benefits.