[Excerpt from news piece by Molly Ingram, WSHU Public Radio, April 5, 2023]
According to the DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey, 34% of Latino residents, 25% of Black residents, and 11% of white residents reported food insecurity in Connecticut. 17% of total respondents said they struggled with food insecurity in 2022.
U.S Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) called on her Republican colleagues to reconsider a proposed 22% cut to federal funding for food insecurity programs on Wednesday. U.S. House Republican leaders have proposed changes to fiscal year 2024 discretionary spending. They want to reduce the 2024 budget to be the same enacted level as the 2022 budget.
DeLauro visited food delivery company LifeBridge Services in New Haven, which serves elderly residents, to highlight the importance of continued federal support.
“We need to mobilize in our city, in our communities, in our state, to talk about how these cuts are really unacceptable,” DeLauro said. “And what we're going to need to do is to fight for them. And I'm not shy.”
DeLauro said 95,000 Connecticut residents would be stripped of their food assistance if the cuts were made.
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According to a DataHaven report, food insecurity in Connecticut nearly doubled last year due to the end of pandemic support. DeLauro said that number will continue to rise if the government cuts funding.
