Update: In the Governor’s press release about the waiver submission he mentioned welcoming stakeholder input into the process and plan as it moves forward.  In light of that, the Department of Social Services has opened a 30 day public comment period in which they are accepting comments on the waiver submitted via this email address:...Lee mas

On July 31, 2025, more than 30 cross-sector partners gathered in Columbia, Missouri, meeting inside the incredible new Food Bank Market at The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri. Convened as the Missouri Rural Food Access Partnership, our charge was clear: to understand how the newly-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is reshaping...Lee mas

Tonight, I’m catching a flight to Washington, D.C. to meet with staffers of Missouri’s congressional delegation and express Missourians’ opposition to the $300 billion in proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Congress’s “one big, beautiful bill.” Empower Missouri’s focus has traditionally been on state-level policy, but the proposed cuts to Medicaid...Lee mas

This week, committees in the U.S. House of Representatives released major reconciliation proposals with cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs. As the title suggests, these proposals will have big impacts for Missouri families, our healthcare, our nutrition, and our state budget. The federal government controls the budgets for most major anti-poverty programs. Unfortunately, many...Lee mas

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee has proposed a $300 billion cut to SNAP, nearly 30% of the federal funding for the nation’s largest anti-hunger program and the largest cut in the 85-year history of the program. One out of ten Missourians use SNAP benefits to put meals on their table. These cuts to SNAP will...Lee mas

Date: April 23, 2025To: Senator Jill Carter and Members of the Senate Families Seniors and Health CommitteeFrom: Christine Woody, Food Security Policy Manager, Empower MissouriRe: Our opposition to SB 662 My name is Christine Woody. I am the Food Security Policy Manager for a statewide non-profit organization called Empower Missouri. We lead a statewide coalition...Lee mas

My name is Christine Woody. I am the Food Security Policy Manager for a statewide non-profit organization called Empower Missouri. We lead a statewide coalition working to end hunger in our state. Thank you for hearing my testimony today. HB 1222 which asks Missouri to submit a waiver to USDA to allow The Department of...Lee mas