After President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed the House, it introduced new fears for millions of Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to survive.
The bill proposed an estimated $300 billion in cuts to SNAP over the next decade. If that portion of the bill passes the Senate as it is currently written, it would leave 12.6% of Americans potentially unable to afford shelter and food.
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The way it currently works is that states would begin to pay at least 5% of food benefit costs, and up to 25% if they have higher error rates, forcing states to choose between raising taxes, cutting other programs, or limiting SNAP access, per the Food Research & Access Center.
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Republican senators pushed back hard on the cuts, leading to June 10 reports that the SNAP changes were being scaled down. The reworked plan cuts the state penalty for error from 25% to 15%, but Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) told Politico that they are “still negotiating.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota took to social media on June 11 to share a video she surely thought would be of help to advocate for keeping SNAP intact. But her efforts have backfired.
SNAP recipients depend on the program to put food on the table.
Image source: Shutterstock
What it’s like to live on SNAP
The video Klobuchar shared is of a SNAP recipient named Felecia talking about her experience as a mother of four living on SNAP benefits.
Klobuchar said, “Today, we heard from Felecia, a single mom of four who works up to three jobs at a time to make ends meet. She counts on SNAP to help put food on the table. This is who Republicans in Congress are trying to take food away from. Listen to her story.”
In the video, Felecia says, “I would like to tell you my story on how SNAP benefit has helped me,” becoming visibly emotional.
“When I had my oldest daughter 21 years ago, I was working three jobs,” Felecia said. “One job alone, I had to pay childcare. Another one to pay food, which wasn’t enough. And one to pay the bills, and I still struggled alive.”
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Felecia went on to say that she now has a full-time job as a bus monitor, but she only gets paid once a month, which is why she still needs SNAP.
“By the time I get my bills paid, I have nothing left to pay for food and other basic needs. If it wasn’t for SNAP benefits, I wouldn’t be able to feed my children,” she said.
The comments on the video exploded, causing it to rake in 75,000 views and make the terms “SNAP” and “Felecia” go viral on X. But instead of garnering empathy, it achieved the opposite effect.
‘She doesn’t need as much as she’s getting’
People in the thread savagely attacked the mother of four, mostly with comments about her weight.
“I’m not saying take her SNAP benefits, but what I’m saying is she doesn’t need as much as she’s getting,” X user currermell said. “Either she’s eating it all and her kids are already going hungry, or the handouts meant to sustain her life are having the opposite effect.”
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“Do you know how many calories it takes to look like her? She’s doing fine,” X user Rafester said.
Some opted to attack Felecia’s relationship choices instead of her weight, saying, “Why does she have 4 children and no husband? Life choices matter. Sorry but 4 unplanned pregnancies and no partner present is absolute nonsense,” X user fictitiousfruit said.
A few rare voices in the thread abstained from insults.
“Not a single person wants SNAP taken away from Felecia. Every single person wants SNAP revoked for people who aren’t trying or aren’t contributing to the country they take advantage of,” user Zac DiSalvo said.