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U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Menlo Park, stopped by the Little House Adult Activity Center on Thursday to highlight the danger proposed federal cuts pose to nonprofits and programs serving seniors and low-income households.
“I can come up with 10 places where I could cut tens of billions of dollars from this budget without impacting those essential programs like Medicaid and Pell grants that are critical for tens of millions of Americans,” Liccardo said on March 20, while speaking at a community event hosted by Peninsula Volunteers Inc. in Menlo Park.
Liccardo was there during PVI’s March for Meals, a national Meals on Wheels campaign, to speak about the urgent need to protect such essential federal programs from severe cuts.
These cuts include programs that millions of Americans rely on, including the Older Americans Act, a federal law designed to help older Americans live with dignity by authorizing grants for their meals, senior centers and overall well-being, Social Services Block Grants that help fund states and territories to support social services and SNAP, which provides food benefits to low-income families.
Liccardo said that the U.S. House of Representatives plans to order the Agriculture Committee to find $230 billion in spending cuts over 10 years.
“That overwhelmingly puts programs like SNAP very much in jeopardy,” he added.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP is the Nation’s largest nutrition assistance program and served an average of 42.1 million participants monthly in 2023.
Liccardo said the OAA is due to expire this year and needs to be reauthorized. The reauthorization will increase the funding from $2.3 billion last year to $2.76 billion in 2025—a 20% rise.
Artemis Rong, chief operating officer for PVI, a nonprofit that serves seniors facing challenges like Alzheimer’s, disabilities, financial difficulties and other age-related issues, said one of the funding sources for Meals on Wheels is the OAA. While the nonprofit hasn’t experienced funding changes, and OAA funds remain stable, ongoing budget cuts under Donald Trump’s administration could impact its operations in the future.
According to a press release, PVI has served over 6,000 senior households each year through its programs since its inception in 1947.
The program delivers food to central San Mateo County, spanning from Millbrae to East Palo Alto, excluding the coast and the most northern tip of the county, as well as Northern Santa Clara County.
