Celebrities sign letter opposing Medicaid, SNAP cuts in Republican budget bill
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Celebrities Sign Letter Opposing Cuts to Medicaid, SNAP: Full List
More than 30 prominent figures from the entertainment industry have signed an open letter urging Congress to reject deep cuts to SNAP and Medicaid. The letter, published by nonprofit organization Feeding America on June 25, described the proposals as “unacceptable and wrong” It includes signatures from the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon, and former One Direction star Zayn Malik. If enacted, these cuts could result in millions losing access to food assistance and health care, with an estimated 7.6 million at risk of losing Medicaid coverage and SNAP losing 9.5 billion meals per year. The cuts are included as part of a larger effort to offset the costs of making President Donald Trump-era tax cuts permanent.Congress is expected to vote on the package in the coming weeks, with a deadline set for July 4. The full list of signatories is as follows:
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More than 30 prominent figures from the entertainment industry have signed an open letter urging Congress to reject deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid.
The letter, published by nonprofit organization Feeding America on June 25, described the proposals as “unacceptable and wrong” while warning that millions of Americans rely on these programs for basic food security and health care. It includes signatures from the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon, and former One Direction star Zayn Malik.
Newsweek reached out to Feeding America for comment via its website outside of regular working hours.
Why It Matters
The proposed reductions to SNAP and Medicaid form part of a Republican-led legislative package making its way through Congress, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
If enacted, these cuts could result in millions losing access to food assistance and health care, with an estimated 7.6 million at risk of losing Medicaid coverage and SNAP losing 9.5 billion meals per year.
What To Know
Led by a diverse array of actors, musicians, and entertainment professionals, the open letter urges lawmakers to protect federal food aid and health care for the most vulnerable.
The letter reads: “Food is a beautiful way humans show care, compassion, and love… It’s a fundamental part of the human experience and a basic right we all deserve.”
L: Producer Matt Damon at the Berlinale International Film Festival on February 15, 2024. R: Scarlett Johansson attends the “Jurassic World Rebirth” New York Premiere on June 23, 2025. L: Producer Matt Damon at the Berlinale International Film Festival on February 15, 2024. R: Scarlett Johansson attends the “Jurassic World Rebirth” New York Premiere on June 23, 2025. Andreas Rentz/Cindy Ord/GETTY
Who Signed The Letter?
The full list of signatories is as follows:
Adina Porter
Alan Cumming
Bianca Lawson
Chrishell Stause
Connie Britton
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
Details of Proposed SNAP and Medicaid Cuts
The proposal introduces new work requirements of 80 hours per month for many adult recipients of Medicaid and SNAP, extending to individuals up to age 65. Parents with children over the age of 10 would need to work to remain eligible for food assistance, while those with teenage children would also be subject to the Medicaid work mandate.
It also proposes shifting some of the cost of SNAP benefits to state budgets, which many governors have warned is unaffordable.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Medicaid changes could cause up to 10.9 million Americans to lose coverage, and new SNAP rules could result in 4 million fewer people having access to food benefits.
The cuts are included as part of a larger effort to offset the costs of making President Donald Trump-era tax cuts permanent.
What Happens Next
Congress is expected to vote on the package in the coming weeks, with a deadline set for July 4.
The Senate is expected to revise several parts of the legislation before holding a final vote. If any changes are approved, the bill will be sent back to the House for another vote.
Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Sheryl Crow sign letter opposing Trump’s food and medical cuts
Celebrities sign open letter against cuts to food and medical assistance programs. Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is expected to be voted on in the Senate soon. The House version of the bill cuts $128 billion in state funding for SNAP, and could potentially remove another $92 billion that would knock people out of eligibility for Medicaid. An estimated 15.5 million children and 7.2 million seniors rely on SNAP and Medicaid to “make ends meet.” The letter concludes: “We call on Congress to reject cuts to these vital programs that help millions put food on their tables”
The stars are urging US Congress not to block funding for food and medical assistance programs that help millions “live more healthily and with dignity.”
The letter from the non-profit organisation, which runs a network of food banks across the US, addresses cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP in Trump’s bill, which has already passed the House of Representatives.
It is expected to be voted on in the Senate soon as, according to Reuters, Trump wants the bill to be signed into law before the July 4 US public holiday.
The House version of the Big Beautiful Bill, which passed in May, directly cuts $128 billion in state funding for SNAP, and could potentially remove another $92 billion that would knock people out of eligibility.
Additionally, the nearly $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid could deprive more than 10 million Americans of health insurance.
Feeding America’s letter noted that if the Big Beautiful Bill is approved by the Senate and signed into law as is, it could take “9.5 billions of meals a year through SNAP off the table” and boot “hundreds of thousands of people off Medicaid and into food insecurity.”
Feeding America said that an estimated 15.5 million children and 7.2 million seniors rely on SNAP and Medicaid to “make ends meet.”
The letter continues: “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.”
The letter states that the cuts are “unacceptable and wrong” and that “it is not how people in this country treat each other when facing hard times.”
Other celebrities who have signed the letter include Zayn Malik, Michelle Williams, Connie Britton, Rosario Dawson, Liev Schreiber, Don Johnson, David Arquette, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth and Liza Colón-Zayas.
The letter concludes: “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.”
Scarlett Johansson, Zayn Malik and more pen open letter to US Congress against defunding of food and medical aid programs
The celebrities joined Alan Cumming, Matt Damon, Michelle Williams and more as signatories to an open letter from Feeding America. The document opposes The Trump Administration’s proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which makes sweeping reforms to a number of government services. Part of those changes include a $290Million cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income families supplement their food budget with benefits, often referred to as Food Stamps. The bill also proposes cuts to Medicaid, the government health insurance programme, which could leave 16Million people uninsured by 2034.
The celebrities joined Alan Cumming, Matt Damon, Michelle Williams and more as signatories to an open letter from Feeding America, a non-profit organisation that runs a network of food banks across the country. The document opposes The Trump Administration’s proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which makes sweeping reforms to a number of government services.
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Part of those changes, per a report from NPR, include a $290Million cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income families supplement their food budget with benefits, often referred to as Food Stamps. By Feed America’s estimates, that could result in 9.5Billion meals lost to the lowest income households.
The bill also proposes cuts to Medicaid, the government health insurance programme, which CBS News reports (via Billboard) could leave 16Million people uninsured by 2034.
In an open letter, posted on the organisation’s website, Feed America and its famous supporters said: “Ongoing high grocery costs mean food is out of reach for so many families, and many of our neighbours 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”.
They argue that SNAP and Medicaid “make it possible for them to live more healthily and with dignity, in turn helping communities across America to thrive”. They call the cuts “unacceptable and wrong”, adding: “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”.
According to Reuters, President Trump is urging the senate to vote on the bill soon, with his hope being the bill will be signed into law before the July 4 US public holiday.
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Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon, Kristin Chenoweth Sign Open Letter Opposing SNAP, Medicaid Cuts: “This Is Unacceptable and Wrong”
Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon, Kristin Chenoweth, Danai Gurira and Zayn Malik signed an open letter. The stars are calling for Congress to reject proposed cuts to the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) and Medicaid outlined in the Trump administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” The letter argues that the bill “would make some of the largest cuts to SNAP and Medicaid in U.S. history’ The Congressional Budget Office estimated last month that nearly 4 million fewer people will have food stamps each month due to the legislation’s proposed changes to SNAP. The bill includes cuts to government programs including Medicaid and food stamps as well as work requirements for many adults receiving Medicaid andFood stamps, with Republicans claiming the proposals are designed to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse.
In the missive published Wednesday by nonprofit organization Feeding America, the entertainment industry figures are urging Congress “to reject cuts to these vital programs that help millions put food on their tables and provide access to health care.”
“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,” the letter reads. “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.”
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The letter continues, “Millions of people in this country, including an estimated 15.5 million children and 7.2 million seniors, rely on programs like [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.”
The massive legislative package, which is currently before the Senate as it winds its way through Congress, seeks to make existing tax rates and brackets permanent, extending the tax cuts passed during Trump’s first term and adding new proposals he campaigned on, like no taxes on tips.
To help partly offset lost tax revenue, the bill includes cuts to government programs including Medicaid and food stamps as well as work requirements for many adults receiving Medicaid and food stamps, with Republicans claiming the proposals are designed to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse and make sure the programs work for the people they were designed to serve.
The letter argues that the bill “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.”
The Congressional Budget Office estimated last month that nearly 4 million fewer people will have food stamps each month due to the legislation’s proposed changes to SNAP, according to the Associated Press.
Johansson, Damon, Chenoweth, Gurira and Malik weren’t the only notable figures who signed the open letter. Additional signees included Adina Porter, Alan Cumming, Bianca Lawson, Chrishell Stause, Connie Britton, Dan Bucatinsky, Danielle Brooks, Daniella Pineda, David Arquette, Don Johnson, Karen Pittman, Kelvin Beachum, Lana Parrilla, Liev Schreiber, Liza Colón-Zayas, Michael Chiklis, Michelle Williams, Minka Kelly, Nancy Travis, Paul Scheer, Ron Pope, Rosario Dawson, Ryan Eggold, Samantha Harris, Sheryl Crow and Zoey Deutch.
The letter concludes, “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.”
Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson Sign Letter Urging Congress to Reject Proposed Medicaid and SNAP Cuts
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 cuts. “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. 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, the letter says. The letter also includes Alan Cumming, Danai Gurira, Don Johnson, Kristin Chenoweth, Liev Schreiber, Liza Colón-Zayas, Zoey Deutch and musician Zayn Malik.
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