We urge North Dakota's delegation to protect SNAP benefits

By: Rev. Gretchen Deeg, Bismarck United Church of Christ

November 3, 2025

As clergy and faith communities rooted in the Bismarck area, we are witnessing firsthand the growing desperation of our members and neighbors. The food pantries and ministries we support are overwhelmed. Ministry on the Margins assisted 1,006 families experiencing food insecurity in September, 25% of whom were new. Due to high food prices and an increase in need, the food pantry in Lincoln is struggling to keep shelves stocked. Other pantries are in similar situations. Families are terrified about how they’ll afford food if the government shutdown continues past Oct. 31 and SNAP benefits are halted. This is not theoretical. This is real suffering. Wages are not keeping pace with the cost of food. Essential benefits like SNAP and health care are being cut or threatened to be cut. Our ministries are doing all we can, but we cannot replace the safety nets that our government is meant to uphold. We are tired of the blame game. We call on Senators Cramer and Hoeven, and Representative Fedorchak, to lead—not as Republicans, but as representatives of the people of North Dakota. North Dakotans need a bipartisan solution that protects SNAP, extends health care subsidies, and ends the government shutdown. North Dakota needs it. Christianity demands it. Our faith teaches us to care for the poor, feed the hungry, and protect the vulnerable. We are doing our part. We urge our elected officials to do the same. Put people above politics. The time to act is now.

Signed,

Signed, Bismarck United Church of Christ Faith Lutheran Church Bismarck, Bismarck-Mandan Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Heart River Lutheran Church, Interfaith Alliance of ND, Rev. Gretchen Deeg, Rev. Sylvia Bull, Rev. Kevin Nelson, Rev. Cory Thrall, Rev. Zanne Ness, Pr. Dave Jenkins, Rev. Gary Heaton, Rev. Sondra Krogstad, Rev. Derek Harkins, Rev. Beth Walch, Rev. John Streccius, Rev. Sharon Korsmo, Rev. Gayler Korsmo, Rev. Lisa Ahlness Dea., Janie Hague, Rev. Gail Hagerty, Rev. Karl Kroger, Rev. Lou Whitmer, Dea. Angie Kutzer, Fr. Hal Weidman, Rev. Frank Picard, Pr. Paul Schauer, Rev. Jacob DeBoer