Dear Alaskans,
Right now, Congress is advancing a massive piece of legislation: H.R. 1
Looking beyond the headlines, we recognize that this bill would fundamentally reshape how thousands of Alaskans put food on the table and access basic health care.
Food Bank of Alaska opposes this bill due to its projected impact on our state.
We’ve outlined the key issues below to help explain what’s at stake for our communities. We will continue tracking developments and sharing as we can.
In the meantime, we encourage you to stay informed, speak up, and help ensure every Alaskan can keep food on the table and stay healthy.
With gratitude,
Food Bank of Alaska
SNAP is Alaska’s largest anti-hunger program. It helps 1 in 10 Alaskans receive benefits redeemed at grocers, farmers markets, and other retailers. In 2023 alone, Alaskans redeemed over $280 million in SNAP benefits at over 550 retailers, moreover, every $1 in SNAP spending creates about $1.80 in local economic activity.
The additional administrative work necessitated by this bill will likely create further delays for Alaskans and the impacts will ripple out. Even people who are “doing everything right” may lose benefits due to administrative complexity. Groups at risk of losing SNAP include caregivers with kids over 14 years old, veterans, foster youth, and people experiencing homelessness.
Cuts to both Medicaid and SNAP will compound harm. Lack of nutrition and healthcare will add traffic to food pantries, increase wait times in emergency rooms, and unnecessarily burden our emergency response network. 1 in 3 Alaskans are covered by Medicaid. People may not even know they are on Medicaid because many states have changed the program name. As an example, Alaska’s Denali Kid Care program is funded through Medicaid.
H.R. 1 increases the federal deficit by more than $3 trillion while raising the debt ceiling by $5 trillion. Meanwhile, by cutting core supports like SNAP and Medicaid, it takes real money out of local communities. Nationwide, these cuts could cost up to 1.6 million local jobs every year. SNAP and Medicaid aren’t handouts - they are cornerstones of healthy, thriving communities. When these lifelines are threatened, so is the well-being of every Alaskan who relies on them.
“According to preliminary estimates, the proposed reductions to SNAP could eliminate the equivalent of nearly 6 to 9 billion meals annually. For context, the entire Feeding America network, which includes more than 200 food banks and 60,000 faith-based and charitable partners, distributed 6 billion meals last year.
Furthermore, proposed cuts to Medicaid could result in the loss of health care coverage for up to 8 million individuals, leaving an additional 800,000 people without sufficient resources to access the nutritious food they need to thrive.”
- From our partners at Feeding America (link)
H.R. 1 has returned to the House of Representatives for final action. Please, contact your members of Congress, share your story, and help protect the programs that help Alaskans get through tough times.
Our state’s families, food pantries, local grocers, and health providers can’t absorb these cuts alone.
We’re urging our community to take one minute and call Representative Nick Begich to ask him to vote NO on HR1.
Here’s what to say:
“My name is ____, calling from ____.
I’m asking you to vote NO on HR1.
1 in 3 Alaskans rely on Medicaid, and 1 in 10 need SNAP.
These cuts hurt real people. Please oppose HR1.”