There is a fundamental question we should ask as a nation: Should children go hungry in the wealthiest country in the world?
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I believe the answer is obvious: No. Feeding children should not be a Democratic or Republican issue. It should be an American issue.
I have spent years talking with people on both sides of the political aisle about hunger and food insecurity. While we may disagree about how government should address the problem, I have yet to meet a parent, grandparent, elected official or community leader who believes a child should go to bed hungry.
The federal budget reconciliation law known as H.R. 1, enacted in July 2025, made historic changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, reducing federal spending by nearly $187 billion over 10 years, expanding work requirements, restricting eligibility for some immigrants and shifting significant costs to states.
For Florida, these are not distant Washington debates. Florida’s SNAP caseload fell by more than 277,000 people — about 10% — in the first five months after H.R. 1 was enacted. Participation has continued to decline, even as families face high food and housing costs.
Florida is considering incorporating AI in determining eligibility. We must be careful about relying on artificial intelligence to determine who receives food assistance. Technology may improve efficiency, but who is accountable when an automated system gets it wrong? A computer cannot understand that a parent lost a job, a family’s rent increased or a caregiver is struggling to feed grandchildren.
And research shows that SNAP works. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service has found that SNAP improves household food security, including by helping households maintain access to adequate food. USDA research has also found particularly important benefits for low-income children.
SNAP is often portrayed as a program for people who do not work. That stereotype does not reflect the reality of the people who rely on it.
SNAP helps working families whose wages do not stretch far enough. It helps children, older adults, veterans, caregivers and people who are between jobs. It helps families get through periods when circumstances — not a lack of effort — make it difficult to put enough food on the table.
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This matters because hunger is not simply about an empty refrigerator tonight. Food insecurity affects children’s health, development, ability to learn and overall well-being.
So when we talk about cutting SNAP, we should be honest about what we are really debating. We are not simply talking about numbers in a federal budget. We are talking about whether families can afford groceries. We are talking about whether children have enough food to concentrate in school. We are talking about whether an older adult can stretch a fixed income through the month.
And we need to be honest about the cost to states as well.
Under H.R. 1, states are assuming a much greater share of SNAP administrative costs beginning in fiscal year 2027. States with SNAP payment error rates at or above 6% can also eventually be required to pay a portion of benefits. Florida could face more than $1 billion in additional costs under the new structure, depending on its error rate and the number of benefits subject to state cost-sharing.
There is an important distinction here: SNAP payment error rates are not the same thing as fraud. They largely reflect unintentional mistakes by households or state agencies.
We should demand accountability, reduce fraud and errors and ensure government programs operate efficiently. But we must not balance budgets on the backs of hungry children and struggling families.
As candidates ask for our votes this November, we should ask: Will you work to ensure that Florida’s children and families have enough food to live, grow and thrive?
This should not be a partisan question. It is a question of who we are.
Chris Card of Winter Garden initiated the transformation of the Florida child welfare system and served for more than 20 years as a Community Based Care lead agency executive director. He’s an adjunct professor at USF and St. Leo University.
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