The press conference comes after the Trump administration’s policies continue to worsen the affordability crisis and directly attack federal food assistance programs. At today’s event, Senator Kim stood alongside Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01) and Dan Goldman (D-NY-10), Hunger Free America CEO Joel Berg, and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman. 

“Hunger Free America’s new reports show just how pervasive hunger is in our country. But instead of stepping in to help Americans, the Trump administration is doing the opposite—cutting the very programs that feed hungry families,” said Senator Gillibrand. “By cutting food aid programs like SNAP, the Trump administration is undermining a critical lifeline that nearly 3 million New Yorkers rely on to put food on the table. The administration must put the American people first and take action to curb hunger.”  

“The Trump Administration can try to bury the truth by canceling the annual food security report, spreading misinformation about SNAP fraud, and dismissing decades of research as ‘fear-mongering,’ but families across the country know all too well how real the hunger crisis is. And it’s only getting worse under Trump and Republicans, who have hollowed out the safety net and driven basic costs beyond reach,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Food Recovery Caucus. “Hunger Free America is doing what this Administration refuses to do: document the lived reality of millions of Americans with credible, independent data that exposes the crisis Republicans in power are desperate to ignore. In Congress, many of us are fighting to protect SNAP, strengthen anti-hunger programs, and invest in commonsense solutions to reduce food waste and expand access to healthy meals. We’re not backing down—no matter how hard this Administration tries to hide the reality of hunger in America.”  

“These reports prove that sky-high living costs, combined with the overall decline of the middle class, caused a major hunger crises even before the shutdown. These reports demonstrate that the nation’s affordability crises—combined with deep cuts in the social safety net –are the top reason that U.S. hunger is skyrocketing, impacting even many upper middle class families class families. This new data should be a wake up call for federal, state, and local officials to enact sweeping new policies to slash hunger, strengthen the middle class, and boost economic opportunity for all,” said Hunger Free America CEO Joel Berg 

Key findings in the reports show: 

• 81 percent of U.S. families earning between $75,000 to $100,000 per Year—usually considered to be upper middle class—faced higher costs of living in the past year. 64 percent of such families said it was harder for them to afford the amount and quality of  food they and/or their household needed. 
• 90 percent of the nation’s charitable food pantries and soup kitchens now lacked adequate resources to meet the growing demand for food. 

Senator Kim continues to stand against the Trump administration’s attacks on SNAP, including their $186 billion cut to SNAP this year, and deliver for Americans facing food insecurity. In the Senate, he has led legislation to expand access to summer meals andsupported legislation to ensure SNAP and WIC continued during the republican-led shutdown.

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