Stop Weaponizing State Funds to Feed People in Red Counties and Not Blue Counties: Ohio House Dems Condemn House Passage of Republicans' SNAP Funding Proposal

COLUMBUS - Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati), on behalf of the Ohio House Democratic Caucus, today issued the following statement on House Bill (HB) 730 and proposed changes to SNAP administrative funding that fail to meet the need and would leave thousands of Ohio veterans, children, and community members hungry.

"This Republican-passed legislation means children, disabled Ohioans, and veterans will go hungry. Republicans have intentionally chosen to allocate sufficient state funding to feed Ohioans in smaller, red counties while failing to fund Democrats and Republicans alike who live in larger, blue counties," said Leader Isaacsohn. "We know what it takes to provide the necessary services to our hungriest, poorest, and most vulnerable Ohioans. We should not champion Trump's big cuts to Ohioans while their electric bills double and gas prices skyrocket. An unaffordable grocery bill is just another burden that Ohio Republicans have added to household budgets."

More than 60% of SNAP recipients live in Ohio's largest counties, yet the Republican-passed proposal would ensure that those counties in Ohio would receive only about 20% of the state funding allocated. There are over a half million children and 45K Ohio veterans who rely on SNAP.

Underfunding caseworkers also risks costly errors that could jeopardize federal SNAP dollars and make groceries even less affordable for Ohio families. This plan moves away from a fair, needs-based funding formula and could lead to higher local taxes, service cuts, and layoffs.

House Democrats believe that the legislature should restore a fair, needs-based funding approach that protects food assistance, supports all 88 counties, and helps Ohio families keep up with the cost of living.