In Case You Missed It, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and non-profit leaders hosted press conferences in both Las Vegas and Reno to highlight the devastating impact that cuts to food assistance in the recently-passed Republican tax law will have on families throughout the Silver State.
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Nevada Current, Cortez Masto, Three Square food bank, warn about worsening food insecurity in Nevada
By Jeniffer Solis
- An estimated 131,000 Nevadans could lose food and nutrition benefits under the recently-passed “One Big Beautiful Bill,” leaving struggling food banks to cover the growing need. President Trump’s tax and spending bill made significant changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including shifting more of the cost burden to states while also changing eligibility requirements for beneficiaries.
- “Instead of giving more resources to the states so they can shoulder that burden, it actually takes resources away from states. While states figure out how to close that gap, organizations like Three Square are left with really too much uncertainty, and that is the problem,” said Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto during an event at Three Square of Southern Nevada Friday.
- Beth Martino, president and CEO of Three Square, said while the food bank is working to meet that demand it can not replace the assistance SNAP provides families. “SNAP is the most effective hunger relief program that we have in Nevada and around the country. The work that Three Square does to put food on people’s table is incredibly important, but for every meal that three square distributes, SNAP provides nine,” Martino said.
KOLO, Reno (Broadcast)
Reporter: “More than 300,000 Nevadans experience food insecurity, according to Feeding America. SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is crucial in helping families who have trouble putting food on the table. Senator Cortez Masto says that state governments used to pay half of the administrative costs associated with SNAP, but the recently passed Big Beautiful Bill will force states to pay 75 percent of those costs.”
Cortez Masto: “At a time when food insecurity in our state is on the rise, groceries are increasingly unaffordable, and it’s harder and harder to make ends meet, these cuts will devastate Nevada families who rely on food assistance, and it’ll put even more strain on organizations like the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and the Children’s Cabinet.”
KRNV, Reno (Broadcast)
Reporter: “Under the One Big Beautiful Bill, food assistance programs in the U.S. will be cut by around $186 billion over the next decade. Specifically, $170 million will be taken away from SNAP in Nevada.”
Cortez Masto: “This law makes devastating cuts to food assistance. [It] could lead to about 40 million Americans, including 16 million children, eight million seniors, and 1.2 million veterans across our country [losing] access to food.”
Telemundo, Las Vegas (Broadcast)
Reportera: “En Nevada, cientos de familias se apoyan de estas ayudas alimentarias que se hacen en los diferentes bancos de comida. Hoy, el tema principal fue el impacto que han tenido los recortes después de esta ley tributaria. Durante la conferencia de prensa, la senadora dijo que esto en lo que se traduce es menos alimentos y más necesidad para cientos de familias que hoy se están viendo afectadas.”
Cortez Masto: “One out of every six people in Southern Nevada can’t guarantee they’ll have enough food for themselves or their families on any given day. 97 percent of those people live here, in Clark County.”
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