We’re writing today with full hearts, heavy with concern and full of resolve, in the wake of today’s passage of the federal budget bill—a decision that will deeply impact food access, public health, and the lives of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

While the road ahead is uncertain, Emergency Food Network stands firm. As always, we are your partner in the fight for food justice—ready to face this moment and the next with clarity, courage, and an unshakable commitment to the people of Pierce County.

Although the full details of the final bill are still coming into focus, new analysis of the Senate’s SNAP provisions—which appear to be the foundation for what passed—paints a clear and sobering picture. The direction is alarming, and the harm will not be abstract. It will be felt on dinner tables, in hospitals, and in neighborhoods across our region.

As the county’s central food distributor partnering with over 75 food pantries, meal sites, and shelters, EFN has seen firsthand what happens when the safety net is weakened. This bill includes the most sweeping cuts to food and health assistance in our lifetime:

• $186 billion in SNAP cuts

• Nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts

• Increased penalties for states like Washington, while pushing more costs onto already overstretched systems

These aren’t just numbers. They represent empty refrigerators and missed doctor appointments in Parkland, Puyallup, South Tacoma, and beyond. They represent the erosion of dignity for working families who are already doing everything they can to stay afloat.

What We’ve Learned

In Pierce County, more than 116,000 people rely on SNAP just to get by. Many already turn to EFN’s network for help. With this bill, the need for emergency food will rise—while the federal safety net shrinks beneath it.

The Senate framework includes:

• New work requirements for adults up to 65, including caregivers. Households with school-age children could lose food assistance if every adult cannot prove 20 hours of weekly employment—regardless of caregiving demands or unreliable work schedules.

• A $130 million penalty for Washington State due to a technical error rate just 0.06% above a new threshold—while states with worse records are excused.

• Nearly half of Medicaid funding lost for Washington hospitals—forcing cutbacks and closures that threaten access for everyone, insured or not.

Stand With Us

To those who made phone calls, sent letters, and stood up for what’s right: thank you. Your voice mattered. It still does.

Now, we must remain rooted and ready. We encourage you to keep recruiting food warriors—in your workplace, your places of worship, your friend groups. The policy landscape is shifting, but our commitment to hunger relief and justice is unshaken.

As the details emerge, EFN will continue to share what we learn. We’ll move forward together—with grace, grit, and a shared belief that no one in Pierce County should go without food, health care, or hope.

Let’s keep showing up—for each other, for justice, and for the community we believe in.