Today, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02) and stakeholders from the veterans, foster youth and homelessness communities spoke out against Senate Republican efforts to take food away from these vulnerable populations by adding bureaucratic paperwork requirements to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

In a bipartisan deal struck in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, exemptions from SNAP’s work reporting requirements were created for homeless people, veterans and former foster youth (up to age 24). These populations experience disproportionate rates of food insecurity and often face greater barriers to finding and keeping work – like not having a stable home address and access to other basic necessities, or experiencing mental health challenges – that also make filling out and submitting high volumes of complicated paperwork impractical.

Senate Republicans eliminate these exemptions in their version of the reconciliation budget bill, jeopardizing food access for veterans, former foster youth and homeless people.

“Taking food assistance away from our veterans, vulnerable young people and those experiencing homelessness is cruel. These exemptions were agreed to for a reason: these vulnerable populations face unique barriers that make it more challenging for them to jump through the bureaucratic hoops and navigate the Republican red tape of paperwork requirements. How are people without stable home addresses supposed to get back on their feet without consistent access to food? Who does it serve to take food assistance away from veterans who have bravely served our country if they struggle to transition to civilian life? Taking food away from our veterans, people struggling with homelessness and former foster youth is bad enough. Doing it to pay for tax breaks for people who are already rich and large corporations is a new low,” said Ranking Member Craig.

“Cutting SNAP exemptions for veterans is an unacceptable betrayal. Research consistently shows that military and veteran families face food insecurity at alarming rates. While Congress bipartisanly acknowledged these struggles, giving lower-enlisted service members a much-needed pay raise in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, these proposed SNAP cuts directly contradict that progress. They ignore the unique challenges veterans face, from service-connected disabilities to navigating the transition to civilian life. SNAP isn't a handout; it's a vital lifeline that keeps food on the table for those who serve. IAVA urges Congress to reject these harmful measures and uphold our nation's promise to its heroes,” said Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

“Far too often, service members and veterans face food insecurity in silence. SNAP provides a critical lifeline – helping ensure that those who have served our country don’t have to choose between paying rent or putting food on the table. Retaining access to SNAP is not just about nutrition; it’s about dignity, stability, and honoring the sacrifices made by our military and veteran families,” said Amy Palmer, President and CEO of Soldiers’ Angels.

“Republican Senators removing the veterans’ exemption for SNAP work reporting requirements is a disgraceful move that punishes those who’ve served our country. Over 1.2 million veterans rely on SNAP, and veteran households are more likely to be food insecure than nonveterans. If Republican Senators care about making their bill less harmful, they will include this exemption for veterans. If Republicans in Congress care about veterans and the American people at all, they will drop this horrendous bill entirely,” said VoteVets. 

“SNAP exemptions for veterans experiencing homelessness were enacted with bipartisan recognition of the unique barriers they face. Removing these protections would jeopardize food security for veterans already struggling to find stability. We should be removing barriers – not adding more – for those who have served. Congress must maintain these exemptions and stay committed to practical, compassionate solutions that ensure that no veteran goes hungry,” said Kathryn Monet, CEO of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV).

“This budget reconciliation bill is a moral and economic disaster in every way, shape, and form, including that it has been negotiated in darkness. Senate Republicans are trying to quietly repeal the commonsense, bipartisan exemptions to SNAP’s onerous work requirements for veterans, homeless people, and former foster youth. These people are often unable to meet SNAP’s arbitrary work requirements and comply with the draconian reporting mechanics. They dropped this essential protection from their bill and hoped no one would notice. But we noticed, and we believe the American public deserves to know,” said Abby J. Leibman, President and CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. 

“Temporary SNAP time-limit exemptions have been vital for people experiencing homelessness, veterans, and young adults aging out of foster care. Removing these exemptions is just irresponsible and cruel. Data shows that unhoused individuals are among the most harmed by these policies. It’s shameful that some in Congress would turn their backs on veterans who served this country or cut off foster youth already facing immense trauma. It's simply unconscionable,” said Salaam Bhatti, SNAP Director of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC).

“The Senate's reconciliation proposal will directly cause more young people to go hungry. The creation of SNAP paperwork requirement exemptions for young people from foster care, individuals experiencing homelessness, and veterans in 2023 was a bipartisan policy win for three groups of people who start their lives with less, have greater vulnerabilities and extraordinary need for resources and supports as they to try access needed benefits to get a better start in life. Eliminating these exemptions is a cruel and immoral act. CWLA applauds Ranking Member Craig for drawing attention to the unnecessary burden this provision will create for young people from foster care and others,” said Linda S. Spears, President and CEO of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA).

“Many homeless young people face significant obstacles to employment, such as lack of stable housing and transportation. Others are working, but lack reliable and consistent means to provide proof of employment or report hours. Homeless and foster youth often fall victim to trafficking and other forms of predation when their basic needs, including food, are not met. These young people need the stability and security provided by the current law’s exemption from SNAP work requirements. For these reasons, I urge Congress to maintain the current exemption for youth experiencing homelessness and former foster youth,” said Barbara Duffield, Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection.

“Young people aging out of foster care often face unique challenges, lacking the stable family and economic support their peers can typically rely on. Both Congress and First Lady Melania Trump have recognized the urgent need to better support these youth – especially in areas critical to their well-being, such as food security. Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program disproportionately affect current and former foster youth, many of whom depend on safety net programs after the very systems meant to protect them repeatedly fail. We strongly urge both the House and Senate to exempt youth exiting foster care and homeless young people from SNAP’s paperwork requirements,” said Patrick Lawler, CEO of Youth Villages.

“The Senate should not break the promise it made to young adults leaving foster care, homeless individuals, and veterans. For young people leaving foster care or experiencing homelessness, paperwork requirements create obstacles that can be particularly difficult to overcome due to their lack of resources, family and social support. Imposing these requirements on youth with experience in foster care will hinder their ability to navigate life as independent adults and find stability through housing and employment,” said Jenny Pokempner, Senior Policy Director of the Youth Law Center (YLC).

“The record shows that paperwork requirements have little impact on employment but do cause poor people who are otherwise eligible for vital programs like SNAP to lose their benefits because they are unable to surmount bureaucratic obstacles, and often for very trivial reasons. The imposition of paperwork requirements specifically on people experiencing homelessness – who are engaged every day in a truly existential struggle – is wrong, and such a requirement risks depriving extremely poor people of the nutritional benefits they desperately need,” said the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

“The proposed cuts to SNAP benefits are immoral. The current administration's goal is to ‘leave no billionaire behind’ while punishing low-income people. The National Coalition for the Homeless does not believe in the current false rhetoric of reducing waste, fraud, abuse, economic mobility and expanding opportunity. We know better. We understand that the real direction of paperwork requirements – as welfare reform is punitive – will result in increased poverty and homelessness for children and families, disproportionately impacting people of color, especially African Americans and Native Americans,” said Donald H. Whitehead, Jr., Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless.