ARIZONA – As Republicans in Congress push to pass a budget bill that will make it harder to put food on the table by stripping food assistance – including SNAP benefits from 63,000 Arizona families – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is hearing directly from Arizona stakeholders on how these cuts will affect families.
Senator Gallego released a report highlighting the devastating impacts the cuts will have on Arizona families simply trying to make ends meet:
- 63,000 Arizona families will lose $240 a month in SNAP benefits.
- 35,700 Arizona students will be at risk of losing free school lunches.
Read more from the Senator on the issue HERE.
Here’s what nutrition leaders are saying back in Arizona:
“Arizona’s food banks are already serving a record 700,000 people each month. That’s more Arizonans in need of emergency food assistance than during the peak of the pandemic. People who will lose access to SNAP if the House Reconciliation Bill continues to advance will inevitably need to turn to food banks to put food on the table,” said April Bradham, Arizona Food Bank Network President and CEO. “Food banks are resilient and will always do whatever they can to meet the needs of the community, but the scale of need these cuts would generate cannot be met by them alone. SNAP also supports retailers and farmers. By putting more than 190,000 Arizonans at risk of losing benefits, the House Reconciliation Bill doesn’t just harm participants and their families but the state’s local economy as well.”
“We know that when kids have access to free school meals it not only improves their health, it also boosts their grades. That’s why last year we were thrilled to announce TUSD would be able to offer free meals to all students. But the tax plan moving through Congress would rip that away — taking food out of the mouths of thousands of Tucson students,” said Jennifer Eckstrom, Tucson Unified School District School Board Chair. “I’m grateful to Senator Gallego for standing up against this dangerous bill and fighting for our kids.”
“By gutting SNAP benefits, Republicans aren’t just adjusting numbers on a spreadsheet; they’re actively kicking thousands of vulnerable children off a program that directly qualifies them for free school meals. To do this, while simultaneously handing out massive tax breaks to billionaires, reveals a profound distortion of priorities,” said Dustin Williams, Pima County Superintendent of Schools. “This isn’t about fiscal responsibility; it’s about choosing to penalize our most food-insecure families and sacrifice our children’s ability to learn, all to further enrich the already wealthy. Our schools, and our students, deserve so much better and I thank Senator Ruben Gallego for sounding the alarm on the threat these potential cuts pose.”
“Nutritious food is essential for kids to grow and thrive and our Clubs ensure that our youth receive free, nutritious meals and snacks every day after school and throughout the summer. With 77 Boys & Girls Clubs serving over 44,000 young people statewide, this support is a critical part of how we meet the needs of our communities. Schools and nonprofits like the Boys & Girls Clubs rely on federal school meal programs to provide meals at no cost to families,” said Josh Stine, State Director, Arizona Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs. “At a time when families are facing rising food and housing costs, access to nutritious meals is more important than ever. Cuts to this program would have a devastating impact on the Arizona communities we serve, especially in rural areas, where access to affordable nutritious food is already limited and Boys & Girls Clubs are often one of the only consistent sources of support. We urge policymakers to protect and sustain this critical funding. The health and success of Arizona’s kids depend on it.”
“At Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley, we witness daily how vital nutritious meals are for the health and development of the young people in our care. Throughout the school year and summer months, we provide thousands of free, wholesome meals and snacks to over 15,000 youth we serve. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is fundamental to our mission, enabling us to serve working families effectively without cost to them. With families struggling under increasing food and housing expenses, 91% tell us that meal access is crucial to their household’s stability. Widespread reductions to this program would be catastrophic, particularly for working families who depend on us for reliable nutrition,” said Marcia Mintz, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley. “Additionally, imposing burdensome paperwork requirements for meal applications and service would create an undue and unnecessary administrative burden that nonprofits simply cannot manage. Such red tape would be wasteful and unfair, ultimately preventing us from efficiently serving those who need it most. We strongly encourage policymakers to safeguard this vital funding that supports Arizona’s children.”
“In rural Arizona, schools are often the heart of our communities, and the free school lunch program is a lifeline for so many of our families. It is unconscionable that this Republican budget reconciliation aims to slash funding for SNAP, directly impacting the most vulnerable students in our classrooms, all to provide further tax breaks for billionaires. We are talking about taking food directly out of the mouths of children so that the wealthiest among us can accumulate even more,” said Ray Borane, President of Douglas Unified School District Governing Board. “This budget fundamentally misunderstands the needs of our students and the values of our community.”
“I am deeply concerned by how the Republicans’ budget reconciliation will impact our students, especially through cuts to SNAP that will threaten free school lunch programs. For far too many children in Arizona, a school meal isn’t just sustenance; it’s the most reliable, and sometimes only, nutritious food they receive all day. Taking away this vital safety net doesn’t just mean a grumbling stomach; it means diminished focus in the classroom, a direct barrier to their learning and overall well-being,” said Juan Castillo, President of Somerton Elementary School District Governing Board. “We cannot expect our students to thrive academically if they are hungry. These cuts are not merely financial adjustments; they are a direct attack on the fundamental right of every child to a healthy start and a quality education, regardless of their family’s income.”
“If the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ moves forward in the Senate, the impact on northern Arizona would be devastating. With proposed SNAP cuts putting roughly 25,000 residents in Congressional District 2 at risk, families across Flagstaff and Coconino County would be forced to make impossible choices between food, housing, and healthcare,” said Ethan Amos, President & CEO, Flagstaff Family Food Center. “At the Flagstaff Family Food Center, we’ve already seen demand more than double since 2019—this bill would only deepen the crisis.”
“The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is deeply concerned by the reconciliation package passed by the House. Proposed cuts to vital programs like SNAP and Medicaid and expanding taxes on private foundations will have a profoundly detrimental impact on our community here in Southern Arizona,” said Jenny Flynn, President & CEO of the Community Foundation of Southern AZ.“Cuts to SNAP and Medicaid threaten to disrupt access to essential healthcare services for Arizona’s children, seniors, and those with disabilities. Proposed higher taxes on private foundation investment earnings divert scarce resources from local communities. Components of the Bill will put more pressure on already stretched nonprofits and healthcare organizations to serve community members. We are grateful Senator Gallego is bringing to light the negative impacts this plan would have on Arizonans and for advocating on behalf of our state’s most vulnerable.”
“Access to consistent, nutritious meals is essential for student success. When children come to school hungry, their ability to concentrate, engage, and achieve academically is compromised from the start. Reductions to programs like SNAP and free school lunches threaten to widen existing opportunity gaps—particularly for students from low-income and underserved communities,” said Anaiis Ballesteros, VP of External Affairs, ALL In Education. “At ALL In Education, we understand that student achievement doesn’t happen in isolation; it is deeply connected to a child’s physical and emotional well-being. If we are serious about improving outcomes for all students, we must protect the basic supports—like food security—that make learning possible.”
6/24/25