Constituents Urge Them to Address Rising Food Costs

PENNSYLVANIA – Today, Reps. Rob Bresnahan, Ryan Mackenzie, and Scott Perry voted to pass a Farm Bill that does not address the drastic cuts to SNAP included in the Republican Tax Law last summer.

“This is another disappointment from Reps. Bresnahan, Mackenzie, and Perry,” said Rachele Fortier, Campaign Director for Affordable Pennsylvania. “We know they have been hearing directly from their constituents for months, who are struggling to make ends meet after these devastating SNAP cuts that have resulted in a 10% drop in SNAP participation in Pennsylvania. Instead of listening and taking action to lower costs for working families, they have chosen to double down on a bill that ignores the very real food insecurity crisis facing their constituents. We are calling on Reps. Bresnahan, Mackenzie, and Perry to reverse course and act to lower food costs to address food insecurity.”

The Republican Tax Law cut $186.5 billion from the SNAP program to pay for bigger tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. These cuts threaten the very fate of food assistance in our Commonwealth, where 1 in 8 Pennsylvanians face food insecurity. SNAP supports over 110,000 in PA-07, over 140,000 in PA-08, and over 120,000 Pennsylvanians in PA-10. New research from the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children found that over 1 million Pennsylvania families are at risk of losing some or all of their SNAP benefits by 2034, and that SNAP cuts in the Republican Tax Law could result in up to $15.9 billion in economic development losses in the Commonwealth.

These cuts come after Pennsylvanians are already dealing with increasing costs on everyday essentials and groceries. Tariffs are a large contributor, and Reps. Bresnahan, Mackenzie, and Perry voted multiple times over the last year for cost-raising and job-killing tariffs, even as their constituents have urged them to take action and as prices remain high and job losses are mounting. Reports estimate tariffs could cost families nearly $5,000 more in annual grocery costs.