Rep. Summer Lee, Local Food Banks Discuss SNAP Cuts and Lapse Impact on Western PA Families

Photos (Dropbox)

PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 28, 2025 — Today, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) held a roundtable discussion and press conference with representatives from local food banks and organizations to hear directly from community partners impacted by the loss of SNAP benefits due to federal cuts and the ongoing government shutdown. The Congresswoman was joined by Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (GPCFB), Westmoreland Food Bank (WCFB), Jewish Family and Community Services, Rainbow Kitchen, Project Destiny, and Just Harvest. The conversation comes as SNAP benefits are set to be delayed at the end of the month for 42 million Americans nationwide, including 2 million in Pennsylvania, due to the shutdown and the Trump administration’s refusal to use its emergency contingency reserve funds or transfer authority to provide benefits.

In March, the Trump administration slashed more than a billion dollars in funding used to purchase food for food banks, schools, and childcare centers. A month later, it cut another $500 million from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).  In July, Trump and Republicans passed their so-called One Big Beautiful Bill that made the largest cuts in history to SNAP—a whopping $186 billion—while giving tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. 

“For years, food banks have struggled to keep up with rising demand. Instead of strengthening the programs that help feed our communities, the Trump administration has spent the last several months dismantling them—including making the largest cuts in history to SNAP this past summer. Now, this Republican-led shutdown is putting an even bigger strain on our communities,” said Congresswoman Lee. “The administration can use SNAP’s billions of dollars in its contingency reserve to fund the program under this shutdown. They must support our most vulnerable families.”

"Pennsylvania food banks are facing a dual crisis with a state budget impasse and the federal shutdown threatening the on-time delivery of SNAP benefits,” said Lisa Scales, President and CEO of Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.  “Our charitable feeding network is intended to complement, not replace, federal nutrition programs. With a surge of people coming to us for help in anticipation of a lapse of benefits, food banks and local food pantries need help now. Learn more and give today at pittsburghfoodbank.org and westmorelandfoodbank.org."

“The Westmoreland Food Bank serves 15,000 households regularly. As of July, 46,270 individuals in our county relied on SNAP. For every meal a food bank provides, SNAP provides nine,” said Jennifer Miller, Chief Executive Officer with the Westmoreland Food Bank. “We are here to serve—but we are not designed to replace federal nutrition programs. We do not have the capacity to absorb this level of influx.”

"It’s deeply disturbing that the USDA is now claiming that the contingency funds cannot be used — even though earlier plans indicated that they could. Every action possible must be taken to ensure that the 42 million people who rely on SNAP have access to that lifeline. We must stop playing politics with people's lives,” said Ann Sanders, Director of Public Benefits, Policy and Programs, Just Harvest.

“Rainbow Kitchen Community Services has served the Steel Valley for over 40 years. 2,000 individuals that rely on our services represent highly vulnerable populations including children, seniors, people with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness. Federal funding from the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, a funding source we have relied on for decades to provide a hundred hot meals per day, has already been halted this year while our soup kitchen experiences a 30% increase in clients. This impending pause on SNAP benefits represents another devastating blow to everyone and will harshly impact our neighbors, friends, employees, coworkers and those already struggling to put food on the table,” said Matthew Y. Bolton, Executive Director, Rainbow Kitchen Community Services.

Congresswoman Lee has been a steadfast champion in the fight against food insecurity. In 2024, she delivered $1 million in community project funding to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to support the distribution of 33 million pounds of food to 400,000 low and moderate-income individuals.

• Last week, Rep. Lee joined over 200 House Democrats in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use contingency reserve dollars to fund SNAP during the government shutdown.
• In September, Rep. Lee, along with Representatives Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), Jahana Hayes (CT-05),  and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), along with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), introduced the Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2025, landmark legislation aimed at addressing food insecurity by increasing SNAP benefits and allocating more funds to those with large medical and housing expenses.
• In August, Rep. Lee joined Just Harvest, State Representatives Emily Kinkead and Abigail Salisbury, and community members impacted by SNAP theft at the Kingsley Association in Pittsburgh to demand urgent federal and state action to combat the rising epidemic of stolen food assistance benefits. 

Photos from the visit from be found here.

Congresswoman Summer Lee serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Education and Workforce. Since taking office in January 2023, she has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $2.4 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs. Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 3,000 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.