Opinion: Congress, don't forsake the hungry

Americans recognize that deficit reduction is an important national priority, vital to the long-term economic security of our country. But just because it's important doesn't mean that it can be achieved without regard to our national values.

Unfortunately, the House of Representatives left values on the sideline recently when it moved forward with a proposal to cut food assistance for our nation's hungry by more than $33 billion. That it was done in the name of deficit reduction doesn't justify the fact that cuts to anti-hunger programs at a time when the continued need is great is both reckless and shortsighted.

Taking care of neighbors in need is an American value, and feeding people who are hungry has always been a responsibility shared among government, corporations and local charities. We see this partnership reflected every day at Long Island Cares, in the generous support of our volunteers, donors and community partners, and we're grateful that this value is reflected in Washington through important anti-hunger programs like SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly called food stamps).

SNAP helps more than 46 million Americans each month. The House Agriculture Committee vote to cut the program by more than $33 billion over 10 years would spare no household from benefit reductions, and it would also force millions of low-income people out of the program. The vote was followed by Senate Agriculture Committee chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) releasing her 2012 farm bill markup on Friday, which proposes a $4-billion, 10-year cut to SNAP, primarily by limiting states' ability to operate "heat and eat" policies. Like the rest of the safety net, SNAP is under attack.

Some like to point to the great work that food pantries are doing to suggest that hunger is better solved by charity at the community level. But with 320,000 Long Islanders using their community pantries, charities can't do the job alone. Estimates suggest that local charities provide only about 6 percent of all the food assistance in the United States. Hunger is a national problem, and it's one that requires a national solution. That starts with a strong government commitment to programs like SNAP.

Hunger-assistance organizations on Long Island are struggling to meet the continued need for emergency food as a result of the poor economy and persistently high unemployment. The number of peoplehere who are considered "food insecure" -- meaning they don't always know where they'll find their next meal -- has increased from 250,000 to more than 320,000 in only five years, according to the USDA. Food banks across the country are being challenged each day to provide more as a result of declining federal support for the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which provides nutritious foods for distribution through local charities. There is no way that local relief organizations will be able to make up the difference if SNAP benefits are cut. In addition, cutting the SNAP program would have a negative impact on the local economy, as these additional dollars for supermarkets would be lost. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that an increase of $1 billion in SNAP spending generates from 8,900 to 17,900 full-time-equivalent jobs. SNAP is part of the long-term economic solution in America, not the problem.

Protecting the poor is not a partisan issue. Our nation has a long, bipartisan commitment to protecting low-income safety net programs like SNAP in past deficit-reduction agreements. The three major deficit-reduction packages of the last two decades all adhered to this principle, as did the recent bipartisan Bowles-Simpson Commission. America deserves a thoughtful dialogue about real solutions, not political showmanship.

Congress should put the nation's interests first and craft policies that spur economic recovery, ensure broad and sustainable opportunity, and protect families when opportunity remains out of reach. That includes making sure that SNAP and food pantries are here to put food on the table until struggling Americans are back on their feet.

Paule T. Pachter is executive director of Long Island Cares Inc. -- The Harry Chapin Food Bank. Michael Haynes is the organization's coordinator of government affairs and public policy.