The recent government shutdown was uplifted after a whopping 44 days. The shutdown defunded pay for many items and people like federal workers, businesses, and public services, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is a U.S. federal program that provides food assistance for low income families. This shutdown resulted in the program being temporarily defunded and leaving over 42 million Americans without food.
Food is a human right, and a basic necessity to survive. Because of that, every person should have access to food, since you physically need nutrients to survive. Taking one’s privilege away from having access to food and meals is incredibly inhumane and many issues can arise as a result of food insecurity.
SNAP provides food assistance for low income families throughout America. It was created so no person should have to worry about not having food to eat or to feed their family. However, SNAP is funded by the government, and with the recent government shutdown, its funding came to a hault. A news report for CNN states that “President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress passed a sweeping domestic agenda package this year that will enact massive cuts to the food stamp program.” Because of this, SNAP was defunded for the time being, leaving millions of Americans and low-income families without access to food.
Food insecurity can also result in social and economic effects like increase in poverty. For people who are already suffering from poverty and use food stamps to feed themselves or their family, the defunds of SNAP’s food stamps make it even more difficult for them to overcome poverty. This can also lead to cycles of poverty, where it can take years for someone to escape it and can possibly carry on in future generations, because of the new expenses they have to worry about.
Without SNAP benefits for millions of citizens throughout America, health issues can arise. With the lack of money that people have to spend on food, it forces many people to purchase cheaper less nutritious foods. As a result, problems like malnutrition, diabetes, and obesity can become more common for people eating food like this on a daily basis. The lack of money for food can also cause mental health problems. In a Harvard University study, Erica Kennady, professor of public health, explains that “Eating is so fundamental to our survival as human beings, so not being able to consistently access the food you need is a really overwhelmingly stressful experience.” With overwhelming stress, higher levels of anxiety become more common and can possibly lead to worse problems like depression.
With SNAP being defunded and food insecurity arising, many people argue that there is not much we can do to bring it back. SNAP is funded by the government, so we cannot pay to bring it back, and it takes many steps to bring it back if it was defunded. But even though we cannot make an immediate difference, there are many ways to make a difference in our community. Simply donating canned foods to a food bank can provide people with a meal. Donating to those in need can put a smile on their face.
Food insecurity is a major problem in the world and is not talked about enough. Food stamps are the reason so many people and families are here today. It is crucial that every person should have access to food assistance, no matter what.
