DENVER - Today, Governor Jared Polis joined North Carolina Governor Josh Stein and 22 fellow Governors in calling on Congress not to gut critical SNAP funding and shift funding responsibility onto the states. Governors who signed the letter include: Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Delaware Governor Matt Meyer, Hawaii Governor Josh Green, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Maine Governor Janet Mills, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers.
“Hundreds of thousands of Coloradans rely on SNAP to access food and we urge Congress not to make these drastic cuts. These cuts would hurt children and families, communities and our economies, while stretching state budgets even further,” said Governor Jared Polis.
Today's action builds on Governor Polis’ leadership on this issue. Last week, the Governor pulled together a coalition of agriculture and hunger organizations to advocate against SNAP cuts that Coloradans rely on. This included Hunger Free Colorado, Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Colorado Human Services Directors Association, Colorado Counties, Inc., Feeding Colorado, Nourish Colorado, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, The Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger, Mile High United Way, the Colorado School Nutrition Association, UFCW Local 7, Community Foodshare, Food Bank of the Rockies, Food Bank for Larimer County, Weld Food Bank, Care & Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Colorado Department of Human Services.
Monthly, approximately 617,000 Coloradans receive at least $120 million in SNAP benefits–enough to provide about 48 meals per person per month. In 2024, almost one million individual Coloradans received SNAP, half of whom were children, ten percent of whom were older Americans, and 15 percent of whom were Americans with disabilities.
SNAP injects over $486 million into the economy in wages for over ten thousand Colorado jobs, including farmers, grocers, manufacturers, delivery drivers, and other positions throughout the food supply chain. Over 21,000 Colorado grocery stores use SNAP, and almost $70 million is in turn generated in state tax revenue from enhanced local economic activity.
The letter signed by 23 governors from across the country warns that current proposals in Congress threaten the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which addresses hunger, improves overall health, and helps people overcome poverty. SNAP provides critical food benefits for more than 42 million people in the United States.
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