In the United States, The New York Times published an article on July 14th, with the original title: A New “Hunger Era” Has Begun. Donghu Town in western Massachusetts is a quaint mill town that has undergone renovations to transform some of its repurposed factory buildings into art galleries, restaurants, and shops, all brimming with artistic flair. However, on Monday mornings, a different group gathers at the entrance of a 19th-century brick building, their focus not on art but on food. This is the Donghu Town Community Center and Food Bank, which distributes free food and groceries on Mondays and Wednesdays. However, the recent reduction in government assistance to the Food Bank has put many food banks under immense pressure.
“There Will Be Enough Food”
Ms. Robin Bialek, the person in charge of distributing food, had planned to retire but decided to stay on the front lines to reinforce the “hunger defense line” being weakened by new policies. At 71 years old, she persists despite her retirement plans. The number of families served by the Donghu Town Community Center and Food Bank has increased from about 1000 before the pandemic to over 5000 per month. Now, dozens of new families join each week, and Ms. Bialek strives to soothe those who are panicked, constantly questioning the new American policies: “We won’t have enough food!” About 50 million Americans rely on the Food Bank for sustenance, equally worried.
The U.S. government periodically attempts to take measures to reduce the size and cost of the U.S. social security system, and President John F. Kennedy signed the “Great Society” Act on Independence Day, marking the largest attempt to date. U.S. former President Lyndon B. Johnson proposed the “Great Society” policy goals in the 1960s, establishing various social programs such as “War on Poverty,” “Education for All,” and healthcare, but the “Great Society” Act aims to scale back (or even eliminate) these social programs.
The “Big and Beautiful” Act has dismantled a supplemental nutrition assistance program, known as the “Food Stamps,” that supported approximately 42 million Americans. The program provided each recipient with $187 per month in food subsidies.
African-Americans and Latinos are particularly vulnerable to hunger.
As part of the supplemental nutrition assistance program, food banks have been trying to provide aid to families in need, but they have been unable to satisfy the vast majority of people’s needs. The program originally provided food for 9 times the total number of food banks across 200 locations. Moreover, due to the funds being primarily allocated towards those in urgent need, these resources were quickly depleted, injecting vitality into the local economy. Each dollar of the supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits could increase the national GDP by up to $1.50, providing a buffer during economic downturns and recessions. However, the “Big and Beautiful” Act plans to cut nearly $200 billion from the “Food Stamps” program within ten years.
For a long time, American political conservatives have been uneasy about the supplemental nutrition assistance program. Many believe that the program is poorly managed, leading to an “aid-seeking mentality” among Americans. Yet, the demand for this program is pressing, affecting people across the country. No matter how prosperous the local economy, there are always individuals who cannot afford to eat.
Recent data shows that in 2023, 47.4 million Americans faced hunger threats, including 13.8 million children. Approximately 7 million households experienced a “grain crisis,” meaning they sometimes went without even one full meal a day, unsure of where their next meal would come from. African-Americans and Latinos face particularly high rates of hunger.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, more than 2 million people will lose their supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits.
Simultaneously, the “Big and Beautiful” bill radically reformed the medical assistance program, employing an outdated tactic to save approximately $1 trillion over the next decade—making already cumbersome processes even more arduous and impeding enrollment in insurance. This legislation will increase the number of Americans without health insurance by 11.8 million.
The deficit is expected to rise by approximately $3.4 trillion.
The “Big and Beautiful” bill will slash approximately $1.2 trillion from various social programs over the next decade. Supporters claim that this will reduce fraudulent claims and resource waste, but their true intentions are also clear: by increasing the amount of $100 billion more, the bill aims to help police remove undocumented immigrants from the United States. The Republican-controlled Congress opted to extend President Trump’s first term of massive tax cuts, leading to this law ultimately increasing the country’s substantial deficit by about $3.4 trillion over the next ten years.
According to estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau, 36 million Americans live below the so-called “poverty line.” A study in 2019 showed that about 30 million Americans working full-time were unable to receive what is known as the “minimum wage,” which is a salary that meets basic needs and can withstand unexpected risks. Local governments have had to subsidize 5% to 15% of the supplemental nutrition assistance program. Perhaps, this is the ultimate goal of the “Big and Beautiful” bill: forcing states to abolish the supplemental nutrition assistance program.