Pennsylvania’s Food Industry Is Losing Jobs and Bracing for SNAP Cuts
Pennsylvania’s food and agriculture sector has shed over 6,000 union jobs since Trump’s 2024 election, and industry leaders say the losses are accelerating. On July 25, 2026, the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a hearing where food bank executives, a union leader, and state officials urged lawmakers to protect SNAP and stabilize the farming industry.
The hearing was led by Sen. Nick Miller (D-Lehigh) and Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny). It focused on grocery affordability, federal tariff impacts, and the pending effects of the “Big Beautiful Bill” on SNAP benefits for Pennsylvanians.
6,000+ union food and agriculture jobs lost in Pennsylvania since Trump’s election, according to UFCW Local 1776 president Wendell Young
Wendell Young, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, which represents over 35,000 workers in Pennsylvania, testified that a slaughterhouse in Montgomery County is scheduled to close on August 14, 2026, eliminating another 1,400 jobs. He linked the losses directly to the Trump administration’s shifting tariff policies and immigration enforcement uncertainty.
“The constant carousel of what is subject to tariffs and what isn’t, the lack of guidance from the Department of Homeland Security on what class of immigrant workers are allowed to stay in our country or not, and the modeling on how the Big Beautiful Bill will impact SNAP benefits for Pennsylvania consumers all contribute to this uncertainty.”
Wendell Young, President, UFCW Local 1776, July 25, 2026
Pennsylvania has seen some of the highest grocery price increases in the country, according to Consumer Affairs data, outpacing wage growth statewide. Allegheny County Executive Sarah Innamorato told the committee that families are no longer choosing what they want at the store, only what they can afford.
State Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding told lawmakers that Pennsylvania’s commitment to food system resilience has not changed even as federal priorities have shifted. He argued that farm viability, business stability, and community affordability are not competing goals.
The Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law in 2025, included SNAP work requirement expansions that advocates say will push hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians off food assistance. Food bank executives at the hearing urged legislators to treat SNAP preservation as a non-negotiable priority.
What You Can Do Now
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Contact Sen. Nick Miller directly. He chairs the Senate Democratic Policy Committee that held this hearing. Call his Lehigh Valley office or reach him at the Capitol at (717) 787-2961. Tell him you want the committee to advance state-level SNAP protection legislation before the August 14 Montgomery County slaughterhouse closure adds 1,400 more Pennsylvanians to the unemployed.
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Contact Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa at (717) 787-7683. As co-leader of the hearing, Costa has standing to push Democratic caucus priorities. Ask him to introduce a state SNAP supplemental program to offset federal cuts, as several other states have explored.
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Submit written testimony to the Senate Democratic Policy Committee. The committee accepts public input between hearings. Email testimony to [email protected] and cite the July 25, 2026 hearing record. Describe how grocery costs or SNAP eligibility changes have affected your household.
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Find your own Pennsylvania state senator at legis.state.pa.us and ask them to support legislation stabilizing SNAP funding and agriculture employment in the state, particularly for workers affected by plant closures.
Sources
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: PA Lawmakers Urged to Preserve SNAP Benefits at Committee Hearing KFF: SNAP Work Requirements Under the Big Beautiful Bill Explained UFCW Local 1776: Pennsylvania Food Workers Union Membership and Job Loss Data Consumer Affairs: State-by-State Grocery Price Increases Since 2020 Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee: Committee Members and Contact Information