Brown, McGovern Introduce Legislation to Repeal ICE Slush Fund and Reverse SNAP Cuts

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) and Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02)have introduced the Feeding Families Not Fear Act, legislation to repeal the $75 billion dollar slush fund for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) created by Trump’s Big Ugly Law and reverse the law’s $186 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

Brown serves as Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Agriculture; McGovern also serves on the House Agriculture Committee and is co-Chair of the House Hunger Caucus.

“Trump’s Big Ugly Law isn’t just bad policy, it’s a betrayal of the American people and American values,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown. “The Big Ugly Law paid for a massive new slush fund for ICE by cutting basic food benefits that helps families put food on the table. And that reckless blank check is now paying for mass deportation, mass arrests, and mass detentions in communities nationwide. I’m proud to introduce the Feeding Families Not Fear Act with Congressman McGovern to repeal the ICE slush fund and put that money back into SNAP, where it belongs.”  

“Republicans tell us all the time there is no money to fight hunger, no money to help families with the cost of groceries, no money to help small growers and local farmers. According to them, there’s never any more to help working people who are struggling to get ahead. But those same politicians have no problem writing a $75 billion check to ICE—creating an absurd slush fund bigger than the entire military budgets of most other nations,” said Congressman Jim McGovern. “This is all about demonizing immigrants to distract from Trump’s billionaires-first betrayal of the American people. We should not send one more cent to ICE—this is an agency that terrorizes our communities, violates the law, acts with impunity, goes after law-abiding, good people, and executes American citizens in the streets. I am grateful to partner with Congresswoman Brown to introduce the Feeding Families Not Fear Act to claw back funding from ICE and use it to help families put food on the table.”

TheFeeding Families Not Fear Act reverses two of the most egregious and immoral policies enacted by the Trump Administration: lawless and dangerous mass detention and deportation efforts and deep cuts to hunger prevention. 

Trump’s Big Ugly Law (H.R.1) provided $30 billion in new funding for ICE arrests and deportation programs and $45 billion for new detention centers. This funding has fueled months of abuse across the country. According to analysis by ProPublica, more than 170 U.S. citizens have been detained by ICE agents and according to the conservative Cato Institute only 5% of people detained by ICE have violent convictions. 

Trump’s Big Ugly Law also cut $186 billion from the vital Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which 42 million Americans rely on to buy food each month. Based on the projections of the Congressional Budget Office 4 million people will see their food assistance terminated or cut because of this legislation. 

According to the USDA, 21% of households in Congresswoman Brown’s district, OH-11 (75,000 households total) rely on SNAP benefits, including 31% of Black households. The percentage of households in OH-11 that depend on SNAP is the highest for a congressional district in Ohio. In McGovern’s district, 16% of households rely on SNAP.  

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