Twenty-five percent of people in Congressional District 2 rely on SNAP assistance. Hunger prevention assistance appears and dissipates each day depending on President Trump’s mood and appetite for defying court orders.
And here at home, instead of aiding his constituents during a food crisis, Gov. Ron DeSantis rejected the idea and chose to play politics when asked if he would step in to support Floridians in crisis.
And, instead of working with Congress on a solution, President Trump flew to Mar-a-Lago for a Great Gatsby themed Halloween party. It is hard to discern whether one or both events were intentional by our elected leaders to have their own moment in history under the category, “let them eat cake”.
Like South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, DeSantis could declare a state of emergency, bolster food distribution, and provide universal free school meals. If DeSantis were eligible for another term, maybe he would serve us. But since he isn’t, we must wonder if he thinks his job is done a year early as he collects a paycheck large enough to feed multiple families.
The proposed Republican budget – the cause of the federal government shutdown – that Democrats refuse to sign onto would make astronomical health premiums and SNAP cuts our reality sooner rather than later. DeSantis’s refusal to fund SNAP through an emergency order signals his intent to not only abandon us now, but also his intent to never supplement those lost federal dollars for hungry Florida kids in the future.
What else is terrifying about this state of inhumanity? It closely reflects the reality we face with the “Big, Beautiful Bill” which authorizes $300 billion in SNAP cuts, while the federal reimbursement rate to states for administrative costs will drop from 50% to 25%, more than doubling Florida’s administrative costs.
Attempts are made to placate American farmers with $68 billion in new subsidies in the “Big, Beautiful Bill”, but nowhere near what is required to make up for the revenue associated with lost SNAP funding – a much greater loss for American farmers.
Hundreds of cars snaked through the Governors Square Mall parking lot to receive groceries as part of the Second Harvest of the Big Bend food drive on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. Nearly 100 volunteers loaded boxes of food, cartons of eggs, milk and more into the back of vehicles.
Already ranked 41st in access to healthcare, one of the worst in the nation, Florida’s healthcare prospects will worsen: 4.7 million Floridians will lose ACA tax credits, 1.5 million are projected to lose health insurance, and premiums will skyrocket. It could mean 990,000 Floridians will lose Medicaid, and rural hospitals and clinics may be forced to close.
This inhumane governing must be denounced. Floridians must press DeSantis to serve his people. I am urging all Floridians to call the Hope Florida Foundation to ask for First Lady DeSantis’s help. Further, we need to call our congressional representatives’ offices to demand a reasonable federal bill to prevent hunger and oppose budget cuts to SNAP, ACA, and Medicaid.
And in the meantime, as we wait for our governing officials to do the jobs, we pay them for, I commend Second Harvest, Feeding Florida, food pantries, churches, temples, and community organizers for stepping up in unprecedented ways to feed our communities. If you can, please donate time, funds, or food to these groups.
Amanda Green
Amanda Marie Green is a 32-year-old Tallahassee resident. She recently quit her job with one of USAID’s largest implementing partners, to run for U.S. Congress in FL-CD2.Â
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida’s families deserve better in DC, at home | Opinion results