Amo Joined Volunteers and Rhode Islanders Facing Trump’s SNAP Inaction and Republican Health Care Cost Hikes

PROVIDENCE, PAWTUCKET, WOONSOCKET, RI – TODAY, Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI) joined volunteers at food pantries across the First Congressional District to pack food and supplies for Rhode Islanders facing food insecurity because of President Donald Trump’s choice to illegally threaten to withhold SNAP benefits for the month of November. 

Amo joined volunteers at Mount Hope Community Center in Providence, the ELISHA Project in Pawtucket, and the Milagros Project in Woonsocket to help pack boxes of food and supplies for families who may need them. 

“We look out for our neighbors, that’s the spirit of Rhode Island,” said Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI). “Despite Trump and Republicans’ inaction to end the shutdown, to lower costs, and to make sure people are fed, Rhode Islanders are stepping up, reflecting the best of us. But it should not be this way, the President must comply with the law and not illegally withhold the $6 a day in SNAP benefits that 144,000 Rhode Islanders, including 46,000 Rhode Island children depend on. Thanks to the work of Attorney General Peter Neronha and Rhode Island municipal and nonprofit leaders, federal judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts ordered the President to use contingency funds to pay SNAP recipients. Trump must act quickly, without any further delay and comply with this order. ”

Background

Congressman Amo, a Member of the House Budget Committee, is a champion of the SNAP program and has fought Republican cuts to the program at every turn.

Amo voted against the Big, Ugly Law which cut $187 billion from SNAP and threatens to kick over 35,000 Rhode Islanders off the program, leaving working families even more vulnerable to Trump and Republicans’ cost of living crisis. Trump and Republicans are also forcing states to comply with some of the harshest red tape imposed on SNAP in decades by today, November 1, making it more difficult for those up to age 65, including veterans, caregivers, and parents, to access benefits.

In the fight to protect Rhode Islanders access to nutrition assistance, Amo also introduced the Continuity and Reimbursement for Essential Nutrition (CARE) for WIC During Shutdowns Act to ensure states’ that fill the federal funding gap for WIC during a government shutdown are reimbursed and can continue to provide vital nutrition services, whether or not Republicans show up to work.

Since Trump and Republicans began their efforts to decimate America’s social safety net, Amo has visited food pantries across the First Congressional District, which are seeing a spike in need as SNAP is cut, and Trump’s tariffs have caused grocery prices to jump dramatically. The State of Rhode Island has put together resources for those in need, which can be found at snapsupport.ri.gov.  

Amo is fighting to reopen the government and reverse Republican cuts to the services on which Rhode Islanders rely.

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