‘Help is on its way’: Marilyn Strickland addresses impact federal cuts have had on food security

Thurston Chronicle: ‘Help is on its way’: Marilyn Strickland addresses impact federal cuts have had on food security By Emily Fitzgerald John Ficker became the executive director of the Thurston County Food Bank on July 1, 2025. By the end of his first week, the U.S. federal government had passed H.R. 1. Among other things, the legislation nicknamed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” cut funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicare, and tightened eligibility requirements for both. As a result, Ficker said, “Food insecurity as we understand it in this country was fundamentally transformed in how we support and fund people seeking food.” Ficker joined fellow food security professionals and community leaders at a press conference hosted by Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland, D-Tacoma, in Tacoma on Wednesday, Oct. 21, highlighting the impacts H.R. 1 has had on food insecurity in the South Sound. “The Trump Administration continues to shred our social safety net, and take food out of the mouths of hungry children,” said Strickland. “SNAP is a critical program for seniors, families and children across the nation. Our local partners can help support families, but the damage from the Big Ugly Bill has been done.” Some of H.R. 1’s cuts and new eligibility requirements for SNAP and Medicare went into effect immediately when the legislation was signed July 4, 2026, but many are being implemented in phases. The most recent round of cuts and eligibility changes went into effect Oct. 1, 2026. The next is scheduled for Jan. 1, 2027. Since H.R. 1 was enacted in July 2025, SNAP participation nationwide has decreased by over 5 million people, according to information provided by Strickland’s office. In Washington state alone there has been a decrease of over 57,000 people while food bank usage has gone up by 9%. In Washington state, 44% SNAP participants are children. The Thurston County Food Bank served approximately 50,000 people in 2025, a spokesperson told Thurston Chronicle in March. Since the start of the 2026 calendar year, Ficker said Wednesday, the Thurston County Food Bank has seen a 25% increase in its customer base. That increase has consisted solely of first-time food bank users, according to Ficker. Many of those new customers are employed full time, but are experiencing food insecurity due to rising costs, cuts to their SNAP or Medicare benefits, or a mix of those factors. Each of the Thurston County Food Bank’s pantries and satellite locations, Ficker said, have set new single-day attendance records so many times this year that it’s stopped being remarkable. “At first, it was like, ‘Oh, that’s shocking we’ve done this.’ And then it would happen again, and then it would happen again,” Ficker said. The Food Source Foundation, which provides free prepared meals in the greater Olympia area, has seen a similar customer increase. The foundation delivered an estimated 2,100 meals in the last week, according to founder and director Chris Hyde. “We’ve seen a steady rise in food insecurity in the last two years, and a dramatic rise in the last three weeks as more federal dollars are being pulled back from our most vulnerable neighbors,” Hyde said. “We need to pull together as a community to make sure our shared human family members are not going to bed hungry. And unfortunately, it’s happening all the time.” Strickland said Wednesday that she is confident the midterms will bring a Democrat majority to Congress. Once the Democrats are back in power, she said, they are ready to begin undoing the harm H.R.1 has caused. “It won’t be easy, but change is coming, and help is on its way,” Strickland said. When asked what specifically the Democrats have queued, Strickland said that they intend to reverse the cuts to SNAP and Medicare, pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and implement workers protections to strengthen the right to unionize and the right to walk out. “For me, those would be the biggest pillars I would want to debate,” Strickland said. There are other notable actions that are worthy of discussion, including ending the war with Iran and expanding healthcare access, Strickland said, but said the “immediate issue” of undoing the damage done to SNAP and Medicare and putting voter and workplace protections in place are the “immediate issues.” There are also conversations to be had about holding the current administration accountable, Strickland said, “but that circus cannot take over everything we do. We have to pass some bills that are going to have a materially positive effect on American people. So first and foremost, let’s undo the damage first, and then think about what else we can do.” Undoing that damage will take time, however. And in the meantime, it will be up to local community partners like the Thurston County Food Bank and the Food Source Foundation to address the impacts of increased food insecurity within their communities. “I promise to you that part of my charge would be to g