Anti-hunger groups tell committee HR 1 will deepen food insecurity for Maryland families and children
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Summary
No Kid Hungry, Share Our Strength, Maryland Food Bank and Maryland Hunger Solutions told the Budget and Taxation Committee HR 1 and SNAP changes are already raising stress among families, increasing food-bank demand, and risking participation declines that would harm school meal and summer benefits programs.
Advocacy and charitable partners told the Budget and Taxation Committee that federal HR 1 will intensify food insecurity in Maryland and urged state and federal action to prevent benefit loss.
Jason Gromley, senior director for advocacy and government relations at Share Our Strength, which runs the No Kid Hungry campaign, described SNAP as "the backbone of the nation's nutrition assistance safety net" and said HR 1 "cut almost $200,000,000,000 from SNAP over the next 10 years," citing Congressional Budget Office projections that could result in millions of people losing access in an average month. Gromley urged bipartisan congressional fixes and asked states to seek delays or adjustments to HR 1 to avoid cutting access.
Aisha Holmes of No Kid Hungry Maryland said the group surveyed more than 1,000 Marylanders and found widespread stress about food costs; she described families forced to choose between groceries and medicine or housing. Holmes highlighted the summer EBT program ("Sunbucks"), saying the program has delivered benefits to more than 600,000 students and that declining SNAP participation could threaten school-linked programs.
Ann Wallerstedt, vice president of government relations at the Maryland Food Bank, described how the federal funding lapse compounded demand: partner visits surged by about 90% during the shutdown and the food bank and partners distributed millions of additional pounds/ meals and provided cash grants to local partners. Wallerstedt said that replicating SNAP’s reach through charitable sources would cost roughly $90,000,000 per month — a scale that food banks cannot sustain.
Lamonica Jones of Maryland Hunger Solutions described frequent calls from mixed-status immigrant households fearful of public‑charge consequences and confused about humanitarian eligibility; she warned that lowered participation could also ripple through local economies and SNAP retailers. All witnesses said they are working with DHS and local partners on outreach, training and tools to reduce churn and maintain access where eligible.
Committee members thanked witnesses and asked for follow-up information on county-level partner activity and where outreach is most needed; witnesses committed to provide additional data to the committee.
