Statement from Oleta Garrett Fitzgerald, Director of Children’s Defense Fund-Southern Regional Office and Regional administrator of the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative
Media Contact: Oleta Fitzgerald, OFitzgerald@childrensdefense.org, CDF-Southern Regional Office Executive Director; John Henry, JHenry@childrensdefense.org, CDF Media Relations Manager, @johnhenrydc, 708-646-7679
On Monday, the Trump administration announced that, amid uncertainty surrounding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) caused by the federal government shutdown, Americans would receive only partial and delayed payments. The decision will affect tens of thousands of Mississippi families who rely on food assistance. The announcement comes just one week after Governor Tate Reeves stated his intent to seek federal waivers to restrict what low-income families can buy with SNAP benefits while ignoring the urgent reality that many Mississippians may not receive their full benefits through the program.
From Oleta Garrett Fitzgerald, Director of the Children’s Defense Fund’s Southern Regional Office and Regional Administrator of the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative:
“The Governor’s request to ban the purchase of “unhealthy” foods with SNAP benefits is not about health. It is a distraction from a system that continues to fail the people it was created to serve. If the Governor truly cared about health, he would have already expanded Medicaid, strengthened maternal and child health care, and supported policies that reduce poverty rather than deepen it.
“Mississippi has the highest child poverty rate in the nation and some of the most severe food insecurity in the country. Families are not struggling because of what they purchase but because of what their leaders refuse to fix. State agencies can step in with emergency funds or partner with community networks to bridge the gap until benefits are restored.
“Every day of inaction has consequences. Parents are skipping meals so children can eat. Seniors are choosing between medicine and groceries. Local grocery stores and small-town economies are bracing for another blow. This is a moment for courage and compassion—not politics and neglect.
“This crisis is not new, but it is urgent. What Mississippi needs now is action. Federal and state leaders must use every tool available to keep food on the table, protect the most vulnerable, and restore faith that government still works for the people it serves.”