Closer look at ripple effects of federal aid cuts

by Jessica Reimert, Chief Financial Officer for Community Action Lehigh Valley

What happens if Community Action Lehigh Valley goes away? Having worked for the organization for more than a decade, I have seen its resiliency. However, it’s not just a hypothetical question. It’s a very real possibility, and the consequences will ripple through every corner of our community.

The threat stems from decisions made far from the Lehigh Valley — on Capitol Hill. In July, Congress passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a sweeping piece of legislation that will reshape many federal programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

SNAP is a lifeline for over 40 million Americans, including children, seniors and people with disabilities. Reductions in SNAP funding are already straining food banks such as Second Harvest Food Bank, Community Action’s largest program, which serves nearly 100,000 people monthly. These cuts force families to choose between food and essentials such as rent or medication, and they increase demand on emergency food networks. When benefits shrink, grocery store revenues drop, prices rise, and local economies — especially in rural and low-income areas — suffer.

One of the most concerning changes is the expansion of work requirements. Under new proposals, adults up to age 64 must meet 80 hours of work or training per month to retain benefits. Consider the grandmother caring for her disabled spouse or watching her grandchildren so their parents can work. Often work requirements lead to benefit loss but not self-sufficiency. Who picks up the slack? This domino effect could destabilize entire families and communities. The burden doesn’t disappear — it just shifts. We’ve seen this kind of ripple effect before. When pandemic-era SNAP enhancements ended in 2022, grocery store spending dropped. Stores faced tough choices: lay off staff or raise prices. We all know what happened —prices soared. Families who never needed assistance before suddenly found themselves struggling.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program is also on the chopping block. The Department of Agriculture will buy less food from farmers and distributors, meaning less fresh food for food banks. Suppliers lose revenue. Layoffs follow. And those laid-off workers? They may end up at the food pantry — only to find it stocked with canned goods and boxed pasta instead of fresh produce or seek assistance through SNAP. A decrease in healthy foods means high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which means more visits to doctors and hospitals.

Cuts to TEFAP and Local Food Purchase Agreement funding will reduce the amount of food available for distribution. Reduced food availability can lead to increased hunger and malnutrition in the community. Local farmers who relied on LFPA funding will lose critical support, impacting their ability to sustain operations and support their families. Second Harvest Food Bank serves 100,000 individuals per month. If it experiences a 20% reduction in food availability, 20,000 individuals in our region could face food insecurity. This is not just about food. It’s about survival.

Community Action currently receives $5.4 million in federal funding. If that funding disappears on October 1, so do the services that keep families safe and warm such as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Weatherization Assistance, and Community Development Block Grants.

No more heating system replacements in the dead of winter. No more roof repairs. No more help for homes on the brink of being uninhabitable. We hire local contractors to work on homes doing roofs, insulation, HVAC, and other home improvement work. Cuts to these programs not only means that families are exposed to the elements and face dangerous conditions in their homes, it also means contractors and their employees are out of work. Their families, who were once middle-class working families, will now be in the same food lines and in need of the services affected by the government cuts. This affects the local economy.

The Community Services Block Grant, which also faces funding cuts, provides funding for many of our 12 programs – the Housing Counseling Program among them. Last year, we helped save 47 families from foreclosure. Increased foreclosures lead to more families losing their homes, which can result in higher homelessness rates and strain on local shelters and social services.

The damage doesn’t stop at the physical. When basic needs go unmet, mental health suffers. Stress rises. So do rates of suicide, domestic violence and child abuse.

Community Action has been a lifeline since 1965. We’ve weathered political storms and shifting administrations. But this time feels different. We are planning. We are preparing. We are advocating. But we need our community to understand what’s at stake. These cuts may look like savings on paper, but they come at a cost — and that cost will eventually reach every one of us.

The current administration has made it clear: the burden is now on states, businesses, individuals and organizations such as Community Action Lehigh Valley. Now the question is: what happens if we can’t pick up the pieces?

If you care about your community and want to make a difference, please consider donating or volunteering your time and talents by visiting: www.communityactionlv.org.

This is a contributed opinion column. Jessica Reimert is the chief financial officer at Community Action Lehigh Valley. Do you have a perspective to share? Learn more about how we handle guest opinion submissions at themorningcall.com/opinions

This op-ed was originally posted by the Morning Call, August 6, 2025.