The next is the transcript of the interview with Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Nov. 30, 2025.
NANCY CORDES: We flip now to the struggle in opposition to starvation in america. Based on authorities knowledge, 47.4 million folks lived in what the Division of Agriculture calls a meals insecure family in 2023. That is when a family cannot essentially get hold of sufficient meals to feed all of its members. One of many largest teams working to fight meals insecurity is Feeding America, and we’re joined now by CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, who’s in Charleston, South Carolina this morning. Claire, thanks a lot for being with us, and completely happy Thanksgiving.
CLAIRE BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: Thanks for having me again.
NANCY CORDES: Completely. So through the shutdown, we noticed these extremely lengthy traces at meals banks. The shutdown has now been over for a few weeks. SNAP advantages are going out once more, however even earlier than the shutdown, meals insecurity was at its highest fee in almost a decade. So, what’s the scenario now that you simply’re seeing at meals banks across the nation as we head into the vacations?
BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: Yeah. So I am so glad that you- you made that time. I- I feel your viewers could also be shocked to study that meals insecurity charges earlier than the shutdown have been increased than at any level through the pandemic, for instance. We’re persevering with to see very excessive demand. I feel a part of the reason being as a result of the quickest rising group of individuals turning to the charitable meals system, they’re individuals who do not even qualify for any federal vitamin packages so that is an space that we have to remain targeted on. We all know the sorts of issues that work. We have to do these issues in order that we are able to actually handle what’s taking place with starvation and poverty within the nation,
NANCY CORDES: What do you assume is contributing to the rise in starvation and this group of people that, as you say, do not qualify for advantages, however are exhibiting an elevated want for meals?
BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: Yeah, I feel it is that the system is damaged. Proper now, there’s so many individuals, in the event you can think about, on this nation who cannot afford to get a increase at work, as a result of we’ve a system that doesn’t incentivize folks to proceed to maneuver up the ladder. We have ladders with huge lacking rungs, if you’ll, so we are able to do one thing about that. We may have a sliding scale, for example, that enables folks to maneuver out of poverty. By doing that, as a result of meals insecurity is definitely a symptom of poverty, they’re going to transfer out of that as properly. We as a nation ought to all need folks to have the ability to present for themselves. We must always all need them to have the ability to get work that they will really feel happy with and assist their households with. We have now the facility to do all of these issues, it is going to require that we work collectively, that we be sincere about what’s damaged, and that we actually get dedicated about fixing these issues.
NANCY CORDES: What are the principle challenges that the organizations in your community are going through this vacation season as they attempt to feed people who find themselves hungry? Is the meals there for the individuals who want it?
BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: Yeah, sadly, the traces are longer than- than the meals that’s accessible, and one of many hardest issues to witness might be seeing these individuals who have the identical desires, aspirations for his or her children and themselves, as I’ve for mine and your entire viewers have for theirs, feeling the necessity to flip to the charitable meals system. It takes loads of braveness and resiliency and dedication to household ofttimes to have the ability to do this, after which for them to show up despite all of these limitations, and not- us not be capable to present them with what they actually need so I’ve a deep respect for folks experiencing starvation on this nation. I have been an individual who’s skilled starvation earlier than. I do know many individuals who’ve, many individuals who nonetheless do, so a lot of them are my heroes. After which one other set of heroes that I’ve are folks working on this struggle within the Feeding America community, who present up shoulder to shoulder with folks experiencing starvation, who’re so deeply dedicated to their properly being. So we have to place folks experiencing starvation to have the ability to fend for themselves, and we have to place meals banks to have the ability to present them with the assist that they want on this second, till they get there.
NANCY CORDES: As you understand, there are about two million Individuals who’re going to be affected by adjustments to the SNAP program that have been made earlier this 12 months in a vote by Congress. They won’t be receiving SNAP advantages any longer. What are the financial implications of that? And in about 30 seconds, what can your organizations do about it?
BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: Based on the Congressional Finances Workplace, we’re most likely taking a look at a few six billion meal per 12 months hole that is going to be created. So the sorts of issues that we should do: we ought to handle fraud the place it exists. We should incentivize folks to have the ability to get the hand up that they want and to maneuver out of poverty. We ought to handle error charges, however we should do all of this stuff strategically, and we should do them in a bipartisan means. This should be the form of factor that this nation can come collectively round, that we are able to maintain arms shoulder to shoulder, as a result of when folks experiencing starvation win, all of us do.
NANCY CORDES: Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, we’ve to depart it there. We have a tough out. However thanks a lot, Claire Babineaux-Fontenot from Feeding America. Thanks a lot.
