UPDATE, MAY 22
The legislation passed 215 to 214 in the House of Representatives. It now goes to the Senate.
As written, the bill would:
- Slash taxes
- Steer more money to the military and border security
- Pay for some of this with cuts to Medicaid, food assistance, education and clean energy programs
- Add significantly to federal deficits and to the ranks of the uninsured
by Connie Oswald Stofko
Inflation was high in 2022, so I wrote an article on growing your own vegetables.
I also told gardeners how they can share their extra vegetables with FeedMore WNY, which distributes food to hungry people throughout Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties. There are people throughout Western New York who have trouble feeding their families in the best of times, and inflation hits them especially hard.
Unfortunately, things are worse now—much worse because the federal government is slashing funds for food programs.
Last year, FeedMore WNY received $14.9 million in federal funding, said Collin Bishop, chief communications officer for FeedMore WNY.
This year, the federal government may cut FeedMore WNY’s funding by nearly $6 million.
These cuts have come at a time when the need for food assistance continues to grow in Western New York, Bishop said. Over just three years, the number of individuals helped by FeedMore WNY increased 46 percent.
You can help. Call your representative in Congress.
“It’s imperative that the federal government continue to fund and support food assistance programs,” Collins said. “Any reduction or elimination of these vital funds has a devastating effect on the charitable food assistance network and further exacerbates the already massive problem of hunger in WNY.”
