Norton to Speak at Press Conference Against SNAP Cuts

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will speak at a press conference today, Friday, June 14, 2013, at 10:00 a.m., on the House Triangle, at the southeast corner of the Capitol building, to call attention to the impact of reductions in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, as it faces over $20 billion in cuts in the House Republican proposed farm bill reauthorization. At the press conference, Norton will join several other members of Congress, hunger advocates and members of the faith community. Norton is among the nearly 30 members of Congress participating in the SNAP Challenge by living on a SNAP budget of $31.50 for all food and drink between June 13 and 19, in protest of the proposed cuts to SNAP. On Wednesday, Norton spent $30.07 for her entire week's worth of food.

"Food stamps, the most important defense against hunger for almost 45 million of our country's most needy, are undergoing a heartless attack by House Republicans," said Norton. "Even now, food stamps for a month generally last two and a half weeks. Further cuts are morally bankrupt and unconscionable."

Published: June 14, 2013