By State Rep. Kinkead
Every month, nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, to put food on the table. Here in Allegheny County, that includes more than 160,000 people, 60,000 of whom are under age 21.
For these families, SNAP benefits will not arrive in November because of the federal government shutdown, entirely driven by Republicans in control of the White House and Congress. Until the shutdown ends and a federal budget is passed, the roughly $366 million in SNAP funds that Pennsylvania receives each month will disappear. For those who rely on SNAP, this is not an inconvenience, it’s an emergency.
Food stamps feed children, allow seniors on fixed incomes to buy nutritious food, and fill gaps for working adults whose wages simply do not stretch far enough. Right now, our government is failing them. This crisis was not caused by a natural disaster or an economic downturn. It was a choice — the product of policy decisions, or indecision, in Washington, D.C., putting ideology before the needs of working people. Every day the shutdown continues, more families will run out of groceries, food banks will be overwhelmed, and kids will go to bed hungry.
As House chair of the Pennsylvania Legislative Hunger Caucus, I have seen the human cost of these decisions up close. I have met parents who skip meals so their children can eat and seniors who stretch a loaf of bread to last the week. SNAP is supposed to help close those gaps and ensure that no one in the wealthiest nation on Earth goes hungry. To use that system as a bargaining chip is unconscionable. How will SNAP recipients procure food now?
At the state level, I have made it my mission to expand access to food for every Pennsylvanian, especially children and seniors. I have introduced legislation to create a universal school meals program, guaranteeing every child in Pennsylvania access to breakfast and lunch at school. No applications. No stigma. No exceptions. A program that would simply make sure every student is fed. That bill would also erase existing school meal debt so children are not punished or publicly humiliated for something entirely beyond their control.
My efforts are rooted in the belief that hunger is not inevitable. It is a policy failure that our government has the power and the obligation to fix. In 2025, that failure is being compounded at every level. In D.C., Republicans have forced a shutdown that has cut off SNAP entirely. In Harrisburg, Republican leaders in the state Senate have refused to finalize the bipartisan, balanced budget passed by the House, which contains critical investments in food programs that could soften the blow of federal inaction.
Among those programs are the State Food Purchase Program and the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System. These two lifelines support farmers and food banks across the commonwealth. SFPP helps local food banks buy and distribute nutritious food to families in need, while PASS connects Pennsylvania farmers with hunger-relief organizations to get fresh, locally grown food onto people’s tables instead of letting it go to waste.
I was pleased to see Gov. Josh Shapiro propose historic increases to both programs in his budget address, although I am advocating for even stronger investments given the unprecedented cuts to federal anti-hunger efforts. But as long as Senate Republicans refuse to work with us on a state budget, those programs will not be funded at all.
Whether it is hunger, health care, or the state budget, dysfunction within the Senate Republican Caucus is at the heart of our policy problems at the state level. Pennsylvania cannot fill the massive hole left by the loss of federal SNAP dollars and other anti-hunger funding, such as the Local Food Purchase Assistance program, but we could use our own state programs to respond and actually help struggling families weather this crisis. Instead, the Senate majority is blocking even those limited tools, holding up funding that could make a difference for families in every corner of the Commonwealth.
I will not mince words — if we continue to go without these funds, many of our friends and neighbors will be hurt. I share the incredible frustration and fear of Pennsylvanians experiencing this disaster. This is not how the government is supposed to work. The point of public service is to protect people, not abandon them when it is politically convenient.
If you or someone you know is struggling to afford food, please call my office at (412) 321-5523 or email [email protected]. My team can help connect you with local food pantries, community programs, and other state assistance you may qualify for. No one should have to face hunger alone.
We can do better. We must do better. Because when Harrisburg stands still, it is our neighbors who pay the price — and that is something I refuse to accept.
