Millions of American veterans who once risked their lives for this nation now face empty fridges and empty promises—sign to ensure our veterans don’t go hungry.
Veterans Should Never Go Hungry In The Country They Fought For — Restore SNAP Benefits Now
More than one million U.S. veterans depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to keep food on the table. They are men and women who served this country, who now live on fixed incomes or disability payments, and who often stretch each dollar until the next benefit arrives. When those benefits stop, refrigerators go empty1.
The recent federal shutdown placed all SNAP benefits on hold, threatening to leave veterans, active-duty families, and reservists without food assistance. The USDA warned that unless Congress restores funding, no payments will go out. For those already surviving on the edge, this is not a political issue—it’s a crisis of survival2.
The Invisible Struggle After Service
According to national research, veterans are more likely to experience food insecurity than non-veterans, even after accounting for income and education. Disabilities, health conditions, and the challenges of returning to civilian life often make steady employment difficult. A missed month of SNAP means deciding whether to skip meals, fall behind on rent, or forgo medication3.
At food pantries near military bases, the effects are already visible. Nonprofits report rising lines of military families—many with young children—who can no longer rely on their monthly allotments. In communities from Fort Cavazos to Norfolk, veterans are rationing meals and asking neighbors for help. They shouldn’t have to. These are Americans who once defended our nation, now struggling to feed their families back home4.
SNAP Is More Than Assistance—it’s a Promise
SNAP was designed to protect vulnerable Americans from hunger. For veterans, it’s an earned safeguard. When that promise fails, it dishonors their service. No veteran should face an empty fridge while Washington argues over funding. Every day of delay means another meal lost, another family forced to choose between food and fuel5.
It’s Time to Act
Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have the power to fix this now. Restoring full SNAP benefits for veterans is not charity—it’s justice. By acting immediately, lawmakers can ensure no veteran faces hunger because of political stalemates or administrative neglect.
Veterans fulfilled their duty to this country. Now it’s time for their country to fulfill its duty to them. Sign the petition calling for the immediate restoration of full SNAP benefits for all American veterans and military families.
Stand with those who served—sign now.
Rana Sarkar, Economic Times (2 November 2025), “1 Million Veterans’ SNAP Benefits at Risk as Trump Announces ‘No SNAP Benefits’ Until Government Reopens.”
Nicholas Slayton, Task & Purpose (27 October 2025), “As Federal Food Assistance Runs Out, Junior Troops with Families May Be Hit Hard.”
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (2 April 2025), “SNAP Helps 1.2 Million Veterans with Low Incomes, Including Thousands in Every State.”
Darius Radzius, Military.com (29 October 2025), “‘SNAP Is Everything’: Military Families, Vets Prepare for Empty Fridges.”
Malcolm Johnson, NBC Boston (30 October 2025), “‘I Can’t Afford Food’: Over 1 Million Veterans Could Lose SNAP Benefits Amid Shutdown.”
The Petition
To the Honorable Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Members of the House Committee on Agriculture, Members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees,
Every American veteran who once wore this nation’s uniform deserves to come home to a country that honors its promise—not just with words, but with action. Yet today, more than one million veterans and tens of thousands of military families face food insecurity, many wondering how to fill their next grocery cart. These are the same men and women who risked their health, safety, and livelihoods to serve our country. They should never have to question whether they can afford to eat.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides a critical lifeline to veterans who live on fixed incomes, are disabled, or are working to rebuild their lives after service. For many, it is the only source of reliable food security. When benefits are delayed, reduced, or suspended—as they have been during funding disputes and administrative standstills—our veterans are forced into impossible choices between rent, medication, and meals.
A lapse in SNAP assistance is not a policy debate; it is a humanitarian crisis. Veterans represent a disproportionate share of the Americans who depend on this program. Many carry lasting wounds from their service—physical and invisible—that make stable employment difficult. For them, SNAP is not charity. It is a modest but vital assurance that their service will not end in hunger.
We, the undersigned, call upon you to act immediately to restore and fully fund SNAP benefits for all American veterans, without delay or reduction. Congress must authorize the necessary appropriations, and the Department of Agriculture must move swiftly to ensure there are no interruptions in aid.
Caring for our veterans is not optional—it is a duty. They fulfilled their promise to defend this nation; now the nation must fulfill its promise to protect them from neglect.
By restoring full SNAP benefits, you will reaffirm America’s commitment to those who served and strengthen the communities that depend on them. A nation that feeds its defenders invests not only in their dignity but in a stronger, fairer future for all.
Sincerely,
