Warner & Kaine: Under GOP Tax Plan, Virginia Children will Go Hungry to Pay for Tax Cuts for Billionaires

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As Republicans in Congress continue to push forward on a partisan tax plan that cuts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by more than 20 percent, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (D-VA) issued the following statement condemning GOP efforts to make drastic cuts to a vital nutrition lifeline in order to pay for tax cuts for the richest Americans:

“Gutting nutrition assistance in order to pay for tax breaks for billionaires is both morally wrong and economically shortsighted. At a time when families are grappling with the rising cost of living, Donald Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ rips food off the tables of working parents, children, seniors, and veterans. In Virginia alone, more than 200,000 people, including many children, could go hungry if President Trump and Republicans ram this partisan proposal through Congress. We strongly urge our Republican colleagues in the Senate to reject this cruel legislation and stand with the American families who will bear the brunt of its consequences.”

Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to approve Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” in the dawn hours of Thursday morning, and the Senate is expected to take up the bill for consideration after the Memorial Day state work period. Warner and Kaine have been sounding the alarm about the effects of the GOP plan on Virginia if Republicans in Congress continue to insist on gutting vital programs in order to pay for tax breaks for the richest Americans, noting that the GOP bill would strip health insurance from more than 262,000 Virginians, raise energy costs for Virginia households, jeopardize more than 20,000 Virginia jobs, and raise taxes on minimum wage workers while giving the richest 0.1% a $188,000 tax cut.

Nationwide, the harsh cuts in the House-passed bill would take food assistance away from nearly 11 million people – about 1 in 4 SNAP participants – including more than 4 million children and more than half a million adults aged 65 or older and adults with disabilities nationwide. In Virginia, at least 204,000 people – including children – are in danger of losing some SNAP benefits under the Republican proposal, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

Additionally, the bill includes a cost-share proposal that would shift tens of billions in SNAP costs onto states – creating an unfunded mandate that would almost certainly require states to cut benefits and eligibility. Under that proposal, Virginia would be expected to come up with as much as $439 million in state funds in order to fill the hole or be forced to make further cuts to food benefits by 2028, according to CBPP.

In 2024, 827,800 Virginia residents received assistance from SNAP, with an average benefit of $5.83 per day. More than 2/3 of SNAP participants in Virginia are in families with children, and SNAP benefits help keep them fed when their families would otherwise struggle to put food on the table.

Beyond the immediate impact cuts will have on SNAP recipients, cuts to SNAP benefits will also create downstream economic harms. The National Grocers Association, which represents America’s independent grocers, recently released a report that found SNAP funding supports approximately 16,173 Virginia jobs and $546,478,800 in direct wages, creating $470,672,400 in direct tax revenue for Virginia. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that in a weak economy, $1 in SNAP benefits generates $1.50 in economic activity. Households receive SNAP benefits on electronic benefit transfer cards, which can be used only to purchase food at one of about 6,400 authorized retail locations in Virginia.

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