Letter to the editor: Protect Medicaid and SNAP

I strongly oppose the current regime’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which proposes deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP — programs thousands of our neighbors rely on daily.

Roughly 16,000 Butler County residents depend on SNAP to put food on the table. More than 63,000 rely on Medicaid and other public health insurance programs for critical medical care. These are not handouts — they are essential supports for working families, seniors and children.

Cutting $880 billion from Medicaid and $230 billion from SNAP would devastate rural communities like ours. With 10% of Butler County residents already facing food insecurity, these cuts would worsen hunger and strain local food banks. More than 11,000 local children on Medicaid could lose access to health care they desperately need.

I urge Rep. Mike Kelly, Sen. Dave McCormick and Sen. John Fetterman to reject these heartless cuts. You were elected to represent the people of Butler County and Pennsylvania — not to push through extreme policies that hurt the most vulnerable among us while giving tax breaks to billionaires.

Protecting Medicaid and SNAP is not a partisan issue. It’s a matter of basic decency and responsible governance. We are watching, and we expect you to lead with compassion, courage and common sense.

Brandee Fantini

Butler

The writer is group leader of Indivisible Butler County.