Food security too important to play politics with

Less than a month after funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program seemed safe with the end to the federal budget impasse, SNAP benefits in nearly half the states in the country face uncertainty again. In Butler County, that is 8%, or nearly 15,000, of our neighbors.

At a cabinet meeting Tuesday, Dec. 2, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, would move to withhold funds for the program for most recipients in 22 states — including ours — and the District of Columbia starting next week unless those states provide further information.

The federal government wants the names, birth dates, home addresses and immigration status of recipients. Those in the country illegally are not eligible for SNAP benefits, b