Scarlett Johansson, Zayn Malik and more pen open letter to US Congress against defunding of food and medical aid programs

Scarlett Johansson and Zayn Malik are among the signatures on an open letter to the US congress urging them to block a new bill from President Donald Trump that reportedly will leave millions without food or medical aid.

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.

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.

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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.

In the music world, over 100 artists including Ethel Cain, Sophie Thatcher and Boy Harsher have joined a campaign calling for the abolition of US federal agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, following a series of government-sanctioned raids across the country.

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