Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and More Urge Congress to Reject ‘Unacceptable’ Medicaid, SNAP Cuts in Open Letter

Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Michelle Williams, Rosario Dawson and dozens of other Hollywood stars have signed an open letter opposing the proposed budget cuts to America’s Medicaid and SNAP programs.

The open letter, published Wednesday morning by non-profit organization Feeding America, calls on Congress to reject the Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) cuts included in senate Republicans’ current, proposed update of the Big Beautiful Bill, the federal spending bill that was narrowly passed by the House of Representatives in May.

“Ongoing high grocery costs mean food is out of reach for so many families, and many of our neighbors simply do not have enough to eat,” the letter states. “They don’t know where their next meal is coming from or if that meal will be enough to nourish and sustain them.”

Americans who currently depend on SNAP and Medicaid include an estimated 15.5 million children and 7.2 million seniors. The new, proposed cuts would take away 9.5 billion of the meals that SNAP provides every year and force hundreds of thousands of Americans off Medicaid. These cuts would represent some of the largest that the programs have ever experienced in U.S. history.

“This is unacceptable and wrong. It is not how people in this country treat each other when facing hard times,” the open letter says of the impact that Republicans’ budget bill would have on struggling Americans. “We call on Congress to reject cuts to these vital programs that help millions put food on their tables and provide access to health care.”

In addition to Damon, Johansson, Williams and Dawson, the letter’s 30 signatories also include Alan Cumming, Danai Gurira, Don Johnson, Kristin Chenoweth, Liev Schreiber, “The Bear” star Liza Colón-Zayas, Sheryl Crow, Zoey Deutch and musician Zayn Malik.

President Trump and his Republican allies have been pushing to hold a final vote on the updated Big Beautiful Bill sooner rather than later. This coming Friday or Saturday have been cited as targeted days for the vote, hence the timing this week of Feeding America’s open letter. 

You can read the letter and find the star-studded, full list of its signatories below:

Dear Members of Congress, 

We all have powerful memories of sharing meals with friends, with family and even with strangers in moments of celebration, grief or everything in between. Food is a beautiful way humans show care, compassion and love to those around us. It’s a fundamental part of the human experience and a basic right we all deserve. 

Ongoing high grocery costs mean food is out of reach for so many families, and many of our neighbors simply do not have enough to eat. They don’t know where their next meal is coming from or if that meal will be enough to nourish and sustain them.

Millions of people in this country, including an estimated 15.5 million children and 7.2 million seniors, rely on programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid to make ends meet. These programs make it possible for them to live more healthily and with dignity, in turn helping communities across America to thrive. 

Congress is now considering a bill that would make some of the largest cuts to SNAP and Medicaid in U.S. history – taking 9.5 billions of meals a year through SNAP off the table and pushing hundreds of thousands of people off Medicaid and into food insecurity.

This is unacceptable and wrong. It is not how people in this country treat each other when facing hard times.

We call on Congress to reject cuts to these vital programs that help millions put food on their tables and provide access to health care.

The following have signed this open letter to Congress:

Adina Porter
Alan Cumming
Bianca Lawson
Chrishell Stause
Dan Bucatinsky
Danai Gurira
Danielle Brooks
Daniella Pineda
David Arquette
Don Johnson
Karen Pittman
Kelvin Beachum
Kristin Chenoweth
Lana Parrilla
Liev Schreiber
Liza Colón-Zayas
Matt Damon
Michael Chiklis
Michelle Williams
Minka Kelly
Nancy Travis
Paul Scheer
Ron Pope
Rosario Dawson
Ryan Eggold
Samantha Harris
Scarlett Johansson
Sheryl Crow
Zayn Malik
Zoey Deutch

The post Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and More Urge Congress to Reject ‘Unacceptable’ Medicaid, SNAP Cuts in Open Letter appeared first on TheWrap.