Local leaders are voicing concern over recent federal funding cuts to a food assistance program serving low-income seniors in the Houston area.
At a press conference Friday morning at the Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center, Congressman Al Green and U.S. Representative Erica Lee Carter joined representatives from the Houston Food Bank, the Houston Area Urban League, and other community advocates to address reductions to the USDA’s Senior Food Box Program.
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Congressman Green put it plainly: “We’re here because of the needy today—but we’re also here because of the greedy. There are people who believe that to give tax breaks, you can cut food for the needy. In a sense, you are starving the needy to support the greedy. That’s unacceptable.”
The USDA’s Senior Food Box program provides shelf-stable groceries to income-eligible seniors through federal funding managed by the Texas Department of Agriculture. Due to recent budget changes, the Houston Food Bank has had to remove over 200 seniors from the program in the Sunnyside area alone.
“In Sunnyside, around 400 of our neighbors receive Senior Boxes,” said Dr. Katherine Byers, Government Relations Officer with the Houston Food Bank. “We’ve had to cut 205 seniors from the program. This is a matter of dignity and public health.”
The cuts follow the elimination of several federal food initiatives, including $421 million in Local Food Purchase Assistance, $660 million for Local Food for Schools, and $500 million in food deliveries to food banks. These changes were made under the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to Green.
“These food banks are the lifeline for many communities,” Green said. “They do this work because the need is there.”
Representative Lee Carter also criticized the reductions, arguing they disproportionately impact vulnerable populations.
“This administration says they want to take us to the next level, but they’re doing that on the backs of the very people who got us here,” she said.
Both lawmakers encouraged local support for organizations like the Houston Food Bank and the Houston Area Urban League, while emphasizing that charitable donations cannot fully replace federal assistance.
According to the Houston Food Bank, the funding loss has resulted in a halt to new enrollments and the removal of some current recipients from the program, leaving many seniors without access to the consistent nutrition they rely on.
