Statement on the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” from Catherine D’Amato, President and CEO at The Greater Boston Food Bank

Statement on the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” from Catherine D’Amato, President and CEO at The Greater Boston Food Bank:

The Greater Boston Food Bank condemns unprecedented rollbacks to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid included in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. These cuts are the largest in history, reducing or eliminating benefits for seniors, Veterans, children, legally-present immigrants, and working families. This Act shifts responsibility of paying for food and health care programs onto individual states—a burden that no state budget will be able to absorb without significant trade-offs to other critical state-funded social needs programs.

SNAP is our nation’s first line of defense against hunger, and a proven, cost-effective program that helps 1 in 6 Massachusetts residents, and 1 in 8 across the U.S., to put food on the table.

These cuts will force even more food-insecure individuals to turn to an already overextended and underfunded hunger relief network to close their meal gap. GBFB estimates that the charitable food bank and food pantry system in Massachusetts would require approximately $98 million* to meet the increased need.

Food insecurity is also associated with significantly greater health care costs. Our 2025 Statewide Food Access Report: The Cost of Hunger in Massachusetts, created in collaboration with Mass General Brigham, found that an estimated $1.3 billion in emergency room and inpatient hospitalization costs may be related to food insecurity.
Medicaid, the federal and state program that provides health coverage to nearly 30% of Massachusetts residents and almost half of the children in our state, is a critical lifeline that helps keep our communities healthy and stable. Cuts to this program will deepen the struggles of the 1 in 3 people in our state facing food insecurity, forcing more families to choose between paying for medical care and putting food on the table—an impossible choice that no one should have to make.

Here in Massachusetts, we are fortunate that the state has invested significantly to help those experiencing food insecurity, but our leaders have made it clear that as these federal cuts move forward, the state will not be able to shoulder the financial burden. During this time of immense need, we remain devoted to working closely with our partners across the food system, state government, and communities to develop creative hunger-relief solutions and work towards filling the profound gaps in essential supportive services this bill will leave.

*Updated on 7/11/25