By Conner Huey
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In the past couple of months, House Republicans unveiled a devastating plan to strip SNAP benefits from 42 million Americans – gutting the program by $230 billion over the next decade.
For Massachusetts alone, that could mean a staggering $2.6 billion over the next decade. For Massachusetts alone, that could mean a staggering $2.6 billion loss annually in food assistance for one in six Massachusetts residents, or about 670,000 families, ripping vital resources from families already struggling to get by. In the weeks following this announcement, much of the national conversation around these cuts to SNAP has centered around food. And understandably so: as the country’s largest nutrition assistance initiative and the only nearly universally means-tested social program, these efforts to roll back this access to affordable food threaten to undo decades of public health gains.
But in Massachusetts, SNAP does more than just help people buy groceries. It quietly unlocks a broader set of supports – lower utility bills, cheaper transit, cultural access, and job training – that help people not just survive, but move forward.
In short, SNAP is not just a food program. It’s a launchpad to a higher standard of living in all other aspects of life.
Consider what it means to keep the heat on through a New England winter. In Massachusetts, households enrolled in SNAP automatically qualify for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), helping offset the soaring cost of home heating. Utility providers also offer discounted gas and electric rates for qualifying residents. For families already living on the financial edge, this support isn’t just a convenience; it’s a safeguard against eviction, illness, or deeper debt.
Access to communication is equally essential—and equally fragile. The federal Lifeline program, available to SNAP recipients, provides discounted phone and internet service. A working phone line and reliable internet connection can be the difference between landing a job and missing the call, between managing a chronic illness and missing a doctor’s appointment. Especially in a world where everything from school forms to job applications is online, digital access is no longer optional—it’s foundational.
Mobility is another benefit hiding in plain sight. SNAP recipients qualify for reduced MBTA fares, encompassing half-price rides and discounted monthly passes that stretch strained budgets and unlock opportunity. For Boston residents, a SNAP EBT card brings the cost of an annual BlueBikes membership down to just $5. These aren’t fringe perks. For a parent trying to get to work, a student commuting to class, or a caregiver making a medical appointment, the quiet benefit of reliable and affordable transportation can dramatically shape a household’s financial well-being.
SNAP even bridges access to the arts and cultural institutions. Through the state’s EBT Card to Culture program, more than 400 museums and cultural institutions offer free or discounted admission to SNAP recipients in partnership with the Department of Transitional Assistance and the Mass Cultural Council. That includes premier destinations like the Museum of Fine Arts, the Boston Children’s Museum, and the JFK Library. These aren’t just leisure experiences. They’re moments of wonder, learning, and civic connection, particularly for children growing up in households where enrichment can feel out of reach.
The benefits extend beyond facilitating day-to-day life; indeed, they reach into long-term opportunity. Massachusetts’ SNAP Path to Work program connects recipients with free job training, certification programs, and resume-building services. In many cases, it also opens doors to child care vouchers, helping parents re-enter the workforce without choosing between employment and caregiving. These are not just exit ramps from public assistance; rather, they are entry points to stability, contribution, and self-sufficiency.
Taken together, these benefits form more than a safety net. They represent an infrastructure of dignity. A few dollars saved on utilities or transit each month might sound modest, but those savings create space to breathe. And that breathing room is often where change begins.
Still, too many eligible residents remain unaware that these benefits exist. That’s not a personal oversight – it’s a systemic failure. Government programs often operate in silos. Their communications are buried in jargon or cloaked in stigma. When people don’t know what’s available, or feel ashamed to ask, crucial support goes untapped, and the public narrative around programs like SNAP remains narrow and distorted.
Meanwhile, federal proposals to cut or restrict SNAP persist under the banner of fiscal discipline. But that ignores the broader return on investment. SNAP doesn’t just feed families; it reduces medical emergencies, boosts local economies, improves educational outcomes, and supports workforce participation. For every $1 in SNAP benefits, up to $1.50 is returned through local economic activity. These benefits are not handouts. They are smart, targeted investments in people.
Of course, challenges remain. Many applicants face long wait times or complex paperwork. Benefit cliffs, where support vanishes with even minor income increases, can discourage advancement. And coordination across programs still depends too much on state-by-state initiative. But none of this argues for retrenchment. If anything, it argues for deeper integration and stronger support. Community organizations such as Link Health, Project Bread, and MyFriend Ben play important roles in filling these gaps by bridging access to benefits programs, but greater public support is still needed.
Massachusetts has shown what’s possible when public programs work in concert—when a grocery benefit becomes a gateway to broader security and self-sufficiency. That model deserves not just preservation, but amplification.
Because SNAP’s true value lies not just in what it provides, but in what it unlocks. It feeds people, yes, but it also fuels mobility, confidence, and hope. It builds resilience. And in the end, that’s what public policy should do: not just meet the moment, but help people move beyond it.
Sources:
- https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/science/article/pii/S1573442002800131
- https://www.masslegalhelp.org/public-benefits-ssi/snap-food-benefits/added-benefits-your-snap-benefits
- https://www.mass.gov/info-details/ebt-card-to-culture-organizations#greater-boston-region-
- https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-home-heating-and-energy-assistance
- https://www.mass.gov/info-details/lifeline-services
- https://www.brookings.edu/articles/beyond-hunger-the-role-of-snap-in-alleviating-financial-strain-for-low-income-households/
- https://www.fcc.gov/general/lifeline-program-low-income-consumer
Author: Conner Huey
