Washington, DC – Mayor Barbara Foushee has joined 112 mayors from across the country to sign a bipartisan letter urging Congress to protect, strengthen and fully fund federal nutrition programs. The mayors are members of the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, a nonpartisan coalition representing more than 400 mayors across all 50 states and Washington, DC, working in partnership with Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry Campaign. The letter comes as Congress is considering massive cuts to nutrition programs as part of its budget process.
“We express our concern for the growing number of children in our country facing food insecurity and hunger if these cuts are enacted. There are increasing pressures on the cost and availability of food, including viral illnesses in animals raised for consumption, a diminished number of agricultural workers, and continuing global conflict. Our cities are on the frontline of responding to challenges in our communities, and as mayors, we need every option available to fight childhood hunger,” the letter states.
The letter specifically references SNAP, WIC, and school meals as priorities for congressional members to consider as they continue negotiations, making note of the vast number of people the programs impact:
- SNAP is one of our nation’s most powerful tools to end hunger. It helps 41+ million Americans, including 1 in 5 children.
- About 6.6 million people participate in WIC monthly, including 4 of 10 infants in the United States.
- About 29.6 million students eat lunch at school, and 72 percent of those lunches are for students whose families qualify for free and/or reduced-price meals.
A message encouraging restoration of the enhanced Child Tax Credit closes out the letter.
“I am committed to the Mayors Alliance’s efforts to end child hunger because we know that our children present better academically, socially and physically when they have access to nutritious meals and snacks," Mayor Foushee said. " By continuing the fight against child hunger we can ensure that our children have the opportunity to grow up happy, healthy and able to take on future challenges.”
The signatories of the letter to Congress span the political spectrum–Republican, Democratic, Nonpartisan, and Independent–yet all come together to agree that no child in America should go hungry.
About The Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger
Launched in 2022, the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger harnesses the individual and collective leadership of mayors to end childhood hunger in communities nationwide. There is no excuse for children to go hungry in our country. Yet it happens – every day, in every community. The Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger is a nonpartisan coalition working in partnership with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to ensure that every child has the healthy food they need to thrive.