Opinion: The Minnesota lives complicated as Congress considers the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

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Behind every statistic about hunger are real people doing everything they can to get by. Each year at The Food Group we host a Lived Experience Leadership Cohort with individuals across the state who experience food insecurity. They don’t just bring their stories, they bring expertise — guiding our work to end hunger in Minnesota. They remind us how critical programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are and how serious the threat is as Congress considers deep cuts through budget reconciliation.

Ronda, a senior from Duluth, and Tina (name changed for anonymity), a single mom from Blaine, met in this year’s cohort. Both rely on SNAP to help put food on the table, and I believe their experiences are vital to all of us. They are among the nearly 500,000 Minnesotans, over half of whom are children and seniors, who depend on the program.

This federally funded program is one of the most effective ways to address hunger, providing nine meals for every one meal that a food shelf or food bank could offer. But it is not an easy program to access. There’s considerable paperwork and strict guidelines in order to qualify for benefits.

Participants like Tina, who is employed, must submit monthly income documentation, a process that is daunting to keep up with. And for seniors like Ronda, the administrative and technology requirements are overwhelming. Missing a deadline or making one filing error can cost families their food benefits, especially as overburdened caseworkers struggle to keep up with rising hunger.

The budget reconciliation proposal, commonly called the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” ironic in name to folks like Tina and Ronda, is awaiting a vote in the U.S. Senate. In addition to shifting a portion of the program cost to the states, the proposal would expand the already harsh and ineffective work requirements to seniors between 55 and 64 years of age and parents with children over the age of 10.

These changes would have an immediate and devastating impact. More than 150,000 Minnesotans, mostly children and seniors, are at risk of losing food support, and those who meet the requirements will face even more paperwork in the process.

For Tina, feeding her family is made more difficult by her children’s medical hurdles, including Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. Tina herself lives with Type 2 diabetes. “Our health conditions require a diet of high protein with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables,” she says. Celiac disease is an allergy to gluten — and gluten-free foods cost three to four times more. Tina works, but caring for her family limits her hours, often not allowing her to meet the proposed 20-hour requirement, putting her food support at risk.

Ronda, 65, lives on a fixed income. The proposed changes would’ve required her to find employment for 20 hours a week if not for her existing disability. “It will hit us seniors hard,” she says. “Who is going to hire a senior? Those of us on disability or fixed incomes already live with so many limitations — rising prices and food shortages affect what I can afford. I already do without fresh fruits and vegetables from the store, depending on food shelves for those.”

SNAP provides flexibility and access to healthy foods. For Tina and Ronda, every dollar counts. There is no extra. Budgets are strict and stressful. Without SNAP, they don’t risk losing only meals but housing, transportation, medical expenses. SNAP isn’t a luxury, it is a necessity.

Cuts to SNAP will hurt our most vulnerable populations — children and the elderly — and will strain other critical services like food shelves and emergency rooms.

In the 15 years I’ve done hunger-relief work, I have never seen more destructive threats. Our state is stronger when everyone’s basic needs are met, and this bill does the opposite. It doesn’t support families, it threatens them. Now is the time to contact your representatives and oppose this bill.

“What will I do? How are we supposed to make it when everything is stacked against us?” Tina asks. “When you’re on SNAP you’re already at the lowest of low. It’s hard. But without it? I don’t know what I would do.”

Sophia Lenarz-Coy is executive director of The Food Group, a Minnesota-based nonprofit.