Protect SNAP and Medicaid from harmful cuts

This week, Congress is considering budget reconciliation legislation that would significantly reduce funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid.

Alongside Feeding America and Feeding Colorado, Food Bank of the Rockies is urging lawmakers to reject any proposals that would take food assistance and health care access from children, older adults, veterans and people with disabilities.

Rural communities would feel the most significant impact of this change. SNAP supports not only families, but local grocers and farmers. Medicaid helps keep rural hospitals open, which are critical when they are often the only nearby provider for emergency and maternity care. For rural communities to thrive, they must have access to local grocers and hospitals to provide them with the food and care they need.

Food Bank of the Rockies is already beyond full capacity alongside our network Hunger Relief Partners. Food insecurity is at its highest level in over a decade across our service area and across our nation. Now is the time to strengthen collaboration between federal programs, the charitable food system and community partners — all working together to help end the hunger crisis.

We urge Congress to support a balanced approach to the upcoming budget reconciliation bill and to oppose proposals that would take away food assistance and health care access from children, older adults, veterans and people with disabilities. These are time-tested tools that help people stay healthy, employed and independent, enabling them to thrive — not just survive.

Sue Ellen Rodwick, Western Slope Director, Food Bank of the Rockies, Grand Junction

Governor Polis should veto SB 72

Senate Bill 72 passed in the final hours of Colorado’s legislative session. With the bill now on the governor’s desk, I’m deeply concerned about what it means for patients like me.

I live with chronic pain from degenerative disc disease and sciatica. For years, it kept me from working, spending time with my kids or living a full life. I tried everything. Here in Lamar, I don’t have access to pain specialists.

Nothing helped, until I found 7-OH, a compound derived from the kratom plant that gave me real relief. 7-OH is a kratom-based supplement used by some Coloradans as a safer alternative to opioids to manage chronic pain. For me, it’s made the difference between getting through the day and being stuck in bed.

SB 72 doesn’t ban kratom-derived compounds, but it creates vague, confusing rules that leave patients, small businesses and law enforcement uncertain about what’s legal. That kind of gray area puts people like me at risk. Without access, I worry I’ll be back where I started: in pain and out of options. This isn’t theoretical for me. If this law makes access harder, I’m the one left in pain.

That’s why smart, science-based regulation is so important. We should ensure safety, but not eliminate options. Gov. Polis has a chance to fix this. I urge him to veto SB 72 and work with patients, scientists and regulators to create a responsible framework that protects public health while keeping safe, effective options accessible.

Jeremy Bradbrook, Lamar

Rep. Hurd’s Medicaid promise breaks with his vote

Last night, in the wee hours of the morning, the House passed a budget bill that will cut $700 billion from Medicaid and $500 billion from Medicare. If this bill passes the Senate, millions of people will lose their health care. Hospitals will close. Why? To pay for $4.5 trillion in tax breaks for the rich.

Congressman Jeff Hurd signed a letter to House leadership saying that he “will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.”

Last night he voted for a bill that did just that. And what’s more, it passed by a single vote. Hurd is personally responsible for passing the bill that will kick the elderly out of nursing homes and shorten the lives of millions of Americans.

The bill still needs to pass in the Senate before it becomes law. Call your senators and urge them to do everything in their power to defeat this cruel budget bill.

Philip Riffe, Hesperus