Statement From Richard Besser, MD, on the Expiration of SNAP, WIC, and ACA Benefits 

PRINCETON—Amid the ongoing government shutdown, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will lapse on November 1. At the same time, millions of Americans will see their new, increased premium rates for Affordable Care Act plans as open enrollment begins, following Congress’ failure to extend enhanced health insurance tax credits. Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, issued the following statement in response:

Everyone in America should be able to put food on the table and access affordable, high-quality, comprehensive healthcare. But instead of working toward these shared aspirations, lawmakers in Washington are playing games with people’s lives and weaponizing their basic needs. Their negligence is cruel, unjust, and unprecedented.

As of today, federal policymakers have failed to fund SNAP for the first time in the program’s history. This leaves 42 million Americans—primarily seniors, children, people with disabilities, and veterans—suddenly at risk of hunger and wondering how they will make ends meet and afford to feed themselves and their loved ones. Millions of new mothers and infants will soon lose critical nutritional support as WIC benefits lapse as well. The measure of a nation’s morality is how many people it allows to go hungry.

Congress has also taken away health insurance tax credits that help millions of Americans afford health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act. Just as open enrollment begins, people seeking health coverage will face annual premium increases of more than $1,000 on average, with many facing even higher costs. Suddenly, millions of people will face heart-wrenching decisions between paying their bills and seeking care for themselves and their loved ones. These are choices no person should ever have to make.

I urge the administration to immediately release its SNAP contingency reserves to help families in dire need of food support. And Congress must work together to end this shutdown, fully fund lifesaving nutrition assistance programs, and extend the tax credits that help keep Americans healthy. 

People's lives and livelihoods are not political pawns. A family’s ability to afford food or healthcare is not a bargaining chip. And in the wealthiest nation on earth, health should not be a privilege, but a right.

For more information or to speak with an expert, contact media@rwjf.org. 

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

RWJF is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, we work side-by-side with communities, practitioners, and institutions to get to health equity faster and pave the way together to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.