Ranking Member Markey Slams Devastating Impact of Trump’s Cruel Cuts to Hungry Children and Families Ahead of Small Business Committee Hearing

New estimates show 50,000 children in Massachusetts lose SNAP benefits because of Trump's Big Ugly Bill

(Washington, June 3) - Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today highlighted how President Trump and MAGA Republicans' cruel cuts to essential nutrition programs are hurting American children and families and worsening Trump's affordability crisis. Ranking Member Markey's statement comes prior to Wednesday's Small Business Committee hearing, during which he will emphasize the need to protect federal investments that help children and families meet their basic needs.

According to new estimates, more than 3.5 million people nationwide, including 50,000 children in Massachusetts, have lost their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits since passage of Trump's so-called One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). The analysis shows that as many as 720,000 children in 12 states have lost SNAP benefits. This could mean as many as 1.5 million children across the country have lost their SNAP benefits since passage of Trump's OBBB.

"Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans have shown they aren't interested in addressing benefit cliffs-in fact, they've been callously pushing people OVER the cliff," said Ranking Member Markey. "While the GOP cruelly slashes nutrition benefits for 50,000 children in Massachusetts and guts other essential public programs, Americans are being crushed by Trump's tariff taxes, they're paying more at the pump, and they're spending their hard-earned money on skyrocketing health care, grocery, and electricity costs. Meanwhile, Trump and his MAGA loyalists are lining their pockets. Instead of stealing from the needy to enrich the greedy, Congress's number one priority must be to ensure that every American can at a minimum make ends meet."

At the hearing, Ranking Member Markey will be joined by Nick Gwyn, a Senior Fellow for Government Affairs at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who will testify that addressing benefit cliffs without increasing poverty requires investing in additional help for working families, such as SNAP and child care assistance.