The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) and 149 Massachusetts organizations are standing together to call on the MA Congressional Delegation to forcefully oppose any proposals that would harm critical federal safety net programs. With Congress considering severe cuts to SNAP, Medicaid (MassHealth), and TANF through budget reconciliation, the 150 organizations urge the Delegation to protect and defend our nation’s vital anti-poverty programs, including:

• Medicaid (MassHealth): Provides health coverage to over 2 million Massachusetts residents and a primary source of funding for community health centers and nursing homes. 
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Helps 670,000 Massachusetts families – 1 in 6 residents – put food on the table and brings $2.7 billion federal nutrition dollars into Massachusetts each year.
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Provides cash assistance to 45,000 families with little to no income and critical funding for early education and care.

The 150 organizations also strongly object to efforts to add or expand harsh and ineffective rules that condition assistance on meeting burdensome work reporting requirements. Decades of evidence have shown that work requirements don’t work – they push families deeper into poverty.

Federal proposals to cut, structurally harm, or weaken any of these programs would devastate Massachusetts families, local economies, and our state’s efforts to end hunger and poverty.

We are grateful for our delegation’s long standing support of these programs, and urge Congress to reject proposals that harm families and individuals with low incomes. 

Please contact Vicky Negus, vnegus@mlri.org, with any questions.