The main ideas in the Declaration of Independence still shape our society today, reminding us that every person deserves basic rights and fair treatment. However, these rights are being challenged when systems that support millions of Americans, such as SNAP benefits, are reduced or taken away. This situation brings up the question of whether we are actually living by the values our country was founded on.
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is a U.S. federal program officially started in 1964 to provide monthly benefits to low-income households through a government-issued card to help them purchase food. When this program was in place, it helped an average of 41.7 million (1 in 8) Americans per month. This program has spent an average of $100.3 billion per year, paid for by taxes administered by the federal government. This was outlined in the Farm Bill, but is currently under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, which amends the program’s budget.
As of October 1st, the U.S. government has been shut down, which has been the longest shutdown in history. President Trump refuses to come to a compromise with the the Democrats who are fighting to protect Medicaid and government-funded health care for those in need. This disagreement and lack of communication have resulted in the government shutdown, leaving thousands of government workers without pay for over 43 days.
In a post on Truth Social Trump stated, “SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly ‘handed’ to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!” Trump claims that SNAP benefits are a waste of tax dollars and have become too big a burden to be paid by the government; however, this is a necessary service that many low-income families rely on.
On the very first page of the Declaration of Independence, it reads “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This might be the most well-known sentence from the Declaration of Independence. It states clearly that every U.S. citizen has the God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, meaning that everyone has the right to exist and not be deprived of life. Many people find the recent decision to cut food stamp funding contradicts these rights.
How is every U.S. citizen expected to live a life of liberty and happiness when they can’t afford to feed themselves or their families? We believe that when our founding fathers declared independence from Britain, they expected our country to prosper and stay fed and healthy. We need to fund food stamps, instead of spending taxpayer money on institutions that only benefit a select few.
