The federal government’s One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4, includes the largest cuts in history to programs that help people who cannot afford food for their tables or health care.
State and local advocates say they are worried about whether their organizations will be able to meet the increased need as people struggle to pay for housing, utilities, health care and healthy food.
High Demand for Food Bank Help
Deep cuts are set to take effect, first, for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
SNAP helps people facing tough decisions by paying for a portion of their groceries, so parents are not skipping meals so their children can eat or falling behind on other bills, said Kelly Proulx, director of communications for the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.
Because SNAP is designed to be supplemental, it does not cover the expense of all groceries that people need, but it is a lifeline for many, Proulx said.
Up to 260 of the 1,066 current Westford residents receiving SNAP are at risk of losing some or all of their SNAP, Proulx said, citing state estimates she has reviewed.
Two of those groups at risk of losing SNAP are a subset of lawfully present immigrants and people affected by changes in work requirements for remaining SNAP eligible, she explained.
As result of SNAP and Medicaid cuts, the Merrimack Valley Food Bank and other food banks in the state expect to see an increase in people coming to local food pantries and organizations for food.
The need for food assistance increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it never dropped back to pre-pandemic levels, Proulx said.
The Merrimack Valley Food Bank provides 70,000 people with food each month by working with partner agencies in 36 cities and towns. Proulx said the food bank has been working to buy fresh produce, meats, milk and eggs to distribute as perishable items are “harder to access on a tight budget,” she said.
Each month, about 350 individuals receive food from the Westford Food Pantry, a member agency of Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Proulx said. Yearly, the Westford Food Pantry is receiving 61,000 pounds of food from the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.
“It’s so important to us not to turn anyone away who needs food. We firmly believe no one should go hungry,” she said.
Effect on Aging Population
Advocates are also worried that people will lose their health care through MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid coverage. Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for some people with limited income and resources, including people with disabilities, complex medical conditions and some seniors.
Medicaid cuts could leave more than 300,000 Massachusetts residents who use MassHealth without health insurance by 2034, according to state officials.
Betsey Crimmins is executive director of Mass Aging Access, a nonprofit membership association representing Massachusetts’ 27 Aging Services Access Points and Area Agencies on Aging that help people remain in their home longer before moving to nursing care.
Many of the agencies’ clients are adults who have low-incomes and receive SNAP and Medicaid benefits, she said.
Food insecurity is an issue in the older population as is malnutrition, she said, adding, she believes that access to healthy food is essential for people to live healthy lives. And agencies that help older adults are already strained for resources as the Baby Boomers are now requiring more services, Crimmins added.
“It’s a man-made problem. This does not have to happen—throwing tens of thousands of people in this state into deeper hunger. It’s hard to wrap your mind around,” Crimmins said.
She said federal cuts to Medicaid will have an impact and some of that may be felt by people who live in skilled care facilities.
As of July 2024, there were 1.2 million people living in nursing facilities, over 60% of whom had Medicaid as a primary payer, according to KFF, formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation, an organization that engages in policy analysis.
Starting to Respond
On July 17, Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order creating an Anti-Hunger Task Force, a public-private partnership of food banks, nonprofits, business leaders, farmers and SNAP recipients to advise and produce recommendations for how the state can mitigate the federal cuts and adopt long-term solutions to hunger.
“I was so proud to sit in that room,” Crimmins said of the governor’s announcement. “It’s a great way to put a lot of resources together and come up with some innovative solutions.”
Proulx of the food bank said, “We’re going to be exploring every avenue to close the gap and meet the need. We’re really going to have to rely heavily on our community.”
Jennifer Nejman Bohonak, who wrote this story, is also a part-time writer for The Greater Boston Food Bank.
