Mountaineer Food Bank says SNAP changes mean 9.5 billion meal reduction

GASSAWAY, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Mountaineer Food Bank is speaking out against cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the One Big Beautiful Bill, or reconciliation bill. The group says in West Virginia, 277,000 people use SNAP to help feed themselves and their families and that the bill in the Senate threatens to make thousands of people food insecure, including children, veterans, and seniors. 

The bill is in flux as it makes its way through the Senate. One of the bill’s big potential changes to SNAP is having states shoulder more of the burden of the program. Chad Morrison, CEO of Mountaineer Food Bank, shared his thoughts on the proposed changes.

“It’s going to be based on your location, how hungry you go. Because, you know, each state is going to be able to support different levels of the SNAP cost share,” Morrison said. “If your state can’t support that then you’re kind of left out in the cold.”

Morrison says West Virginia is one of those states that is not in a position to meet the added burden and said that West Virginia would potentially have to spend $141 million to sustain SNAP.

Nationwide, Morrison said, the country is looking at a 9.5 billion reduction in meals.

Proponents of the bill have said that the changes to Medicaid and SNAP are designed to decrease “waste, fraud, and abuse.” Morrison broke down his challenge of that claim in regard to SNAP and said that of the 277,000 people in West Virginia who receive SNAP, about 94,000 are children and about 54,000 are seniors—large cohorts within the vulnerable populations that SNAP is intended for. Furthermore, he said the majority of those enrolled in SNAP who are able to work do work, and there are already eligibility requirements to address waste and abuse.

Other food programs in West Virginia say they are also at risk from the bill, including WVU Extension’s Family Nutrition Program.

West Virginia’s Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) has already announced major changes to SNAP in West Virginia this year, including the removal of sugary drinks and a plan to update the work requirements.