Food Finders on edge, as SNAP, Medicaid cuts loom in 'Big Beautiful Bill.' A Q&A

Lafayette-based nonprofit lays out stakes in cuts to SNAP’s federal food support working their way through the Senate, heading toward a possible vote Monday

(File photo: Dave Bangert)

As last-minute wrangling continued Sunday over Senate Republican’s version of President Donald Trump’s spending and taxing bill, provisions that would cut funding for low-income food and health care programs had nerves on edge, including those at the Lafayette-based Food Finders Food Bank.

There, the nonprofit has been sizing up changes coming, the local stakes and who likely would get hit first by reduced funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, and Medicaid, if Congress finalizes what’s been called the “One Big Beautiful Bill” as is. The Senate could vote as soon as Monday, sending it back to the U.S. House ahead of a goal to get the bill through by July Fourth.

This is a conversation with Kier Crites Muller, CEO and president of Food Finders, which supplies meals via food pantries in 16 counties, including the supermarket-styled version in a former Save-A-Lot store on Greenbush Street in Lafayette.

First, for the stakes in the bill, this was from an update Sunday in The Washington Post: “Senate rushes to pass Trump’s tax bill, as cost tops $3 trillion.”

“The Senate plowed ahead Sunday on President Donald Trump’s massive tax and immigration agenda as Republicans tried to swat away Democratic policy challenges and contend with its rising impact on the ballooning national debt. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill would extend tax cuts passed in 2017, enact campaign promises such as no tax on tips, spend hundreds of billions of dollars on immigration and defense, and slash social benefit programs. … Senators will probably work overnight to get the bill moving through the chamber.”

Also from The Washington Post: “Senate GOP tax bill includes largest cut to U.S. safety net in decades.”

Although the legislation is still estimated to cost more than $3 trillion over the next decade, the Senate GOP tax bill partially pays for its large price tag by slashing spending on Medicaid and food stamps, which congressional Republicans maintain are rife with fraud. The tax bill centers on making permanent large tax cuts for individual taxpayers, extending the cuts that Republicans first enacted under President Donald Trump’s first term. The bill includes an increase to the standard deduction claimed by most taxpayers, rate reductions for most U.S. households, and a partial version of Trump’s plan to end taxes on tipped wages, among many other provisions. But it offsets these expensive tax cuts in part through what several experts said may prove to be the most dramatic reductions in safety net spending in modern U.S. history. While last-minute changes to the bill text make precise estimates impossible, the legislation appears on track to cut Medicaid by about 18 percent and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by roughly 20 percent, according to estimates based on projections from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Here's the conversation about how that projects out locally.

Question: Can you put into perspective what’s at stake for Food Finders if proposed cuts to SNAP go through?

Kier Crites Muller: If the current iteration of the budget reconciliation bill proceeds, we are preparing for the largest cut to food assistance and health care, specifically the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid, in our nation’s history. After the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry proposed cutting SNAP by $211 billion, the Senate Committee on Finance proposed cutting Medicaid by $1 trillion. These programs have been our nation’s frontline defense against hunger and hardship for over 60 years. Food banks and our network of agency partners were built to fill the gaps, not to be the only source of food.

While the increase in need is concerning for Food Finders, our agency partners, and our network of community partners in the social service sector, we also want to emphasize how these cuts will have a ripple effect throughout our entire community. When families lose SNAP benefits, they redirect their already limited income away from housing, utilities, transportation and other essential expenses to cover basic food costs. This forces difficult choices between paying rent, buying groceries or keeping the lights on. Similarly, Medicaid cuts will push health care costs back onto families who simply cannot afford them.

As families are forced to choose between basic necessities, the financial stress cascades through every sector of our economy. According to the National Grocers Association, SNAP supported more than 389,000 jobs, contributed $20 billion in wages and generated over $4.5 billion in federal and state tax revenue in 2024 alone. Without access to adequate nutrition and healthcare, communities will face both health and financial problems, a cyclical hardship that affects everyone, from individual families to local businesses to our broader economic foundation.

Question: How much of the current Food Finders budget are we talking about?

Kier Crites Muller: At Food Finders, less than 10% of our funding comes from federal reimbursements for programs and grants, sources like The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and a state SNAP outreach grant. But what we receive plays a vital role, as TEFAP helps connect farmers to food banks and families across all 16 counties we serve. If funding is reduced or shifted to the states, it will overwhelm food banks and force families to choose between food, health care and other essentials. The Senate budget reconciliation bill would shift $46 million in SNAP administrative cost, or 75%, from the federal budget to Indiana taxpayers, dropping federal support for SNAP administrative costs from 50% to 25%. According to the Food Resource Action Center, “This would force states to choose between raising taxes, cutting other programs, or limiting SNAP access — particularly dangerous during recessions or disasters when enrollment surges.” The resulting surge of people seeking food assistance would overwhelm the charitable food sector.

Question: Are there other ways to make up for that difference, if SNAP is cut?

Kier Crites Muller: While we hope that our community can help us fill the gap, as they did so effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic, this bill will impact all low- to middle-income Hoosiers and could make it challenging for donors to maintain their current giving. We are also concerned about donor fatigue, especially since so many traditionally government-funded public resources such as public radio, research, the arts and many social service agencies are being entirely defunded or facing steep cuts.

Question: When would those cuts, if approved, force decisions about changes or cuts at Food Finders? And what work are you doing now to prepare, in case the SNAP cuts happen?

Kier Crites Muller: If this proposed federal legislation becomes law, the responsibility to provide $356 million in SNAP benefits will shift from the federal government to Indiana state government. Assuming the state is unable to take this action, Hoosiers in need will lose access to 133 million meals. For context, last year Indiana’s 11 food banks, all together, provided 108 million meals to Hoosiers facing hunger. Indiana’s food banks will simply not be able to replace 133 million meals. More than 610,000 Hoosiers, including 264,000 children and 82,000 seniors, rely on SNAP to buy their groceries and will go hungry because of this legislation, with all the corresponding negative health and economic consequences for them and the rest of society. Our team at Food Finders is actively creating contingency plans for these potential scenarios. We may be forced to make difficult decisions in the months ahead adjusting our distribution models or recalibrating food quantities to meet growing demand.

Question: And are there likely scenarios of what those would look like? Who in the community would be the first to feel those cuts?

Kier Crites Muller: The first neighbors that come to mind are seniors and children. Seniors often rely on SNAP benefits and Medicaid to stretch their Social Security checks. When these programs are cut, they will face impossible choices between medications and meals, often going without proper nutrition to afford their prescriptions. Fixed incomes mean they have no ability to earn additional money to compensate for these losses. The most recent data from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap shows that 14 million children experienced food insecurity in 2023, the highest level in nearly a decade. We’re seeing this trend reflected throughout our 16-county service area, with child hunger rates climbing. When SNAP benefits are cut, children lose access to consistent meals both at home and through school programs that depend on federal funding. Hungry children can't learn effectively, creating long-term educational and economic consequences for our entire region.

We also expect working individuals and families who have never needed our services before to suddenly find themselves in need of food assistance. These are people who currently make just enough to stay above the SNAP eligibility threshold, but with proposed cuts to a variety of social services pushing more families into food insecurity, the increased demand will strain our resources. Longer lines, reduced availability and stretched volunteer capacity could mean families who previously could access help will struggle to get the assistance they need.

Question: What are the numbers – whether people served, meals provided or other metrics you use – this year so far at Food Finders, compared to those last year and recent years?

Kier Crites Muller: This fiscal year to date we continue to trend upward, serving nearly 3% more households at Fresh Market. However, looking at national and local food insecurity statistics with a broader scope, we saw a sharp increase after COVID-19 related social safety-net programs were cut. We went from a moment where the government, charitable and private sectors were all working together to provide additional resources and safety net to ensure Americans didn’t fall further into poverty, and it worked. That year, Feeding America reported a food insecurity rate of 11%, or about 65,000 people, throughout our 16-county service area. Now we are sitting at 15.3% with almost 90,000 people experiencing food insecurity.

Question: What forces are driving those numbers?

Kier Crites Muller: When thinking about these numbers broadly, it is important to note that we have seen a steady increase in food insecurity since COVID-19 era programs ended.

Question: What other context should we know, from your perspective, as the bill makes its way to the Senate?

Kier Crites Muller: We want to reiterate that programs such as SNAP, TEFAP and Medicaid are proven effective tools to fight hunger and promote health. The program most people are probably familiar with is SNAP, and it is the nation’s most effective program for addressing hunger. It’s temporary, targeted and supports people through short-term challenges. The program is a good investment that strengthens local economies, particularly in rural areas like the majority of our 16-county service area. According to the Food Resource Action Center, SNAP generates $1.79 in economic activity for every $1 spent on groceries, supporting family-owned grocery stores, farmers’ markets and food retailers. In recent years, SNAP has modernized with technology that ensures accountability and reduces fraud. Simply put, further cuts won’t improve the system – they will take food away from families who need it.

We are asking our community to contact (Indiana’s) Sens. Todd Young and Jim Banks, asking them to vote against cuts to food security and health care. The budget reconciliation process is moving quickly, so now is the time for our community to unite to ensure no one goes hungry or cannot access health care. We expect to face additional legislative challenges throughout the summer, and we are asking the community to remain attuned to our social media pages and sign up for our advocacy alerts by going to this link and checking the box for advocacy.

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