Bicameral introduction follows Trump administration’s shutdown chaos and effort to strip food assistance from millions of Americans; 1 in 9 Washingtonians rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table
ICYMI: Senator Murray Statement on House Passage of “Big, Ugly Betrayal” Cutting Health Care & SNAP for WA State Families to Fund Tax Cuts for Billionaires
Senator Murray briefly relied on food stamps as a child and has always fought to fully fund SNAP benefits; Murray fiercely opposed Republicans when they passed the largest cuts to SNAP in American history this summer by passing their Big Ugly Bill.
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and other Democratic colleagues in introducing the Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025. The legislation would repeal all the devastating cuts made by Republicans to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” the partisan Republican reconciliation bill that was signed into law in July. U.S. Representatives Jahana Hayes (D-CT) and Angie Craig (D-MN) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Republicans’ partisan One Big Beautiful Bill Act made the largest SNAP cuts in history—breaking a 50-year bipartisan commitment—in order to fund new tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy. Congressional Republicans approved cuts that the Congressional Budget Office estimates will eliminate $187 billion in food assistance over the next decade—as grocery prices rise and President Trump’s tariffs raise costs on Americans across the board. These Republican SNAP cuts will take meals from millions of Americans, including children, seniors, veterans, workers, and people with disabilities, while harming farmers, ranchers, small businesses, and grocers who rely on SNAP dollars. Additionally, the Republican legislation creates a massive unfunded mandate on state governments that could force deep cuts or even eliminate SNAP entirely in some states. SNAP is a lifeline for over 42 million Americans, including 16 million children, 8 million seniors, 4 million people with disabilities, and 1.2 million veterans. In Washington state, over 888,000 residents received SNAP benefits in Fiscal Year 2024—approximately 11 percent of the state’s population, or one in nine Washingtonians.
“SNAP is an investment in people and a commitment we make that, in the richest country on earth, kids and families should not be forced to go hungry,” said Senator Murray. “But Republicans broke that commitment with their Big Ugly Bill that made the largest cuts to SNAP in history—taking food away from families who need it the most, to fund new tax breaks for billionaires who need them the least. And during the Republican shutdown, the Trump administration did everything they could to deny SNAP benefits to struggling families—even going to court to block benefits from reaching people who needed them. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bill to fully repeal Republican cuts to SNAP and I will keep doing everything in my power to speak out and fight back against these terrible cuts to programs Americans rely on to meet their basic needs.”
Additionally, nearly 1,500 national, state, and community-based organizations joined a letter voicing support for this effort.
In addition to Senators Murray, Luján, Klobuchar, and Merkley, and Leader Schumer, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA.), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
The full text of the bill can be found HERE.
###