As Republican Shutdown Continues, Markey, Pressley Highlight Food Insecurity for Massachusetts Families and Stress to Bay State Food Banks and Anti-Hunger Organizations

Watch: Sen. Markey, Rep. Pressley, advocates highlight impact of Republican shutdown on Bay State food banks

Boston (October 24, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Primary Health and Retirement Security Subcommittee, and Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) today held a press conference at Project Bread in East Boston alongside advocates and state and local leaders to highlight the efforts of local food banks and anti-hunger organizations to support Massachusetts families and communities impacted by the Republican shutdown.

The Trump administration is creating a hunger emergency in the United States. In July, President Trump signed into law the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which puts over 100,000 Bay Staters, including parents, veterans, and older adults, at risk of losing SNAP benefits entirely. This month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is instructing states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November. One out of every six Massachusetts residents-or more than 1.1 million Bay Staters-rely on SNAP to help put food on the table, 32 percent of whom are children. Local food banks and anti-hunger organizations are working hard to meet the community's increased needs but will not be able to fill the gap - and keep Massachusetts families from going hungry-if SNAP benefits end. Today, approximately one in three Massachusetts households is food insecure-a 94 percent increase in food insecure households since 2019.

"We are witnessing Robin Hood in reverse: Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are stealing food off the tables of millions of hungry families in Massachusetts and across the country to pay for tax cuts for CEO billionaires," said Senator Markey. "At a time when the cost of living and groceries is skyrocketing, our federal government must focus on lowering costs and meeting the basic needs of ALL Americans. Instead, Trump and MAGA Republicans are more focused on shutting down the government, slashing hunger and health care programs, and demolishing the White House to build a gilded ballroom for their billionaire buddies. It's unacceptable. I am proud to represent the Bay State, where people at all levels of government and advocates partner to fight hunger and support our neighbors in need. I am calling on Trump and the Republicans to reverse their cuts to SNAP and other safety net and health programs and unfreeze funds immediately so people in our Commonwealth and across the country can put food on their tables."

"Coretta Scott King once said that 'starving a child is violence,' and that's exactly what Trump and Republicans are doing by keeping the government shutdown and refusing to guarantee that federal food assistance benefits will go out on time in November," said Representative Pressley. "While vulnerable families in Massachusetts and across the country face a tsunami of hurt, it's time for Republicans to take their foot off the necks of our most vulnerable neighbors, end their government shutdown, and work with Democrats to mitigate the hurt and harm they have caused. I am proud to stand with my partners at every level of government and our incredible food justice advocates, Project Bread, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the Salem Food Pantry, and CSR for standing in the gap and calling on all of us to be our brothers' and sisters' keepers today."

Senator Markey and Representative Pressley were joined by State Senator Lydia Edwards; Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata; Jennifer Lemmerman, Chief Policy Officer of Project Bread; Andrew Morehouse, Executive Director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts; Robyn Burns, Executive Director of Salem Pantry; and Sandra McCroom, President & CEO of the Children's Services of Roxbury.

"No one in Massachusetts or anywhere in this country, should go hungry. The Trump administration is making the conscious choice to jeopardize the health and wellbeing of more than one million people here in the Commonwealth and 40 million people across the country. The impact will be devastating. We need to put people before politics because these aren't statistics. These are our neighbors, coworkers, and family members. Next week more than 336,000 children will be facing an empty fridge. Hundreds of thousands of seniors will be forced to make the impossible decision between eating food or paying for heat because they will no longer be able to do both and working adults will face unnecessary harm. The Trump administration is willingly taking food away from people who are already struggling to make ends meet. We call on the administration to act and use the funds available to prevent this crisis. Project Bread is here for every resident in Massachusetts as they navigate this manmade crisis and find ways to continue to meet their most basic need for food," said Jennifer Lemmerman, Chief Policy Officer, Project Bread.

"If November SNAP benefits are not issued, 191,000 SNAP recipients in our region will seek food assistance from local food pantries that will turn to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts for more food. We're already providing all the food we receive from state and federal governments, and the private food industry. SNAP provides nine meals for every meal the Food Bank provides. Food banks simply cannot replace the loss of federal SNAP benefits. And $35 million lost in SNAP benefits unspent in November will hit hard our region's food retailers, farmers, and their employees," said Andrew Morehouse, Executive Director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

"Food banks and pantries are experiencing their busiest time of the year, and any reduction or delay in SNAP benefits will only increase the demand for food assistance. The food bank and pantry system cannot cover the massive gap that would be created by such an impact on SNAP. Still, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that everyone in our community has access to fresh, healthy food," said Robyn Burns, Executive Director of Salem Pantry. "Massachusetts has always taken a leadership role, and this is embodied by the vital work of the Make Hunger History Coalition and the Governor's Anti-Hunger Task Force. Moments like this require all of us to come together - we must take action to support the most vulnerable in our communities by preserving the essential right to food.

"The people we once called essential workers, are now being left to go hungry. Their needs are not extravagant, they are essential," said Sandra McCroom, President & CEO of the Children's Services of Roxbury. "I believe this is not a budget crisis, it is a crisis of humanity. The 6000 plus people CSR serves are not numbers, they are our neighbors, friends, and coworkers. They are all of us."

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