Celebrities urge US Congress against defunding food and medical aid
Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Sheryl Crow are some of the celebrities who have signed an open letter from Feeding America, speaking out against massive cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid baked into Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The stars are urging US Congress not to block funding for food and medical assistance programs that help millions 'live more healthily and with dignity.'
The letter from the non-profit organisation, which runs a network of food banks across the US, addresses cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP in Trump's bill, which has already passed the House of Representatives.
It is expected to be voted on in the Senate soon as, according to Reuters, Trump wants the bill to be signed into law before the July 4 US public holiday.
The House version of the Big Beautiful Bill, which passed in May, directly cuts $128 billion in state funding for SNAP, and could potentially remove another $92 billion that would knock people out of eligibility.
Additionally, the nearly $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid could deprive more than 10 million Americans of health insurance.
Une publication partagée par Feeding America (@feedingamerica)
Feeding America's letter noted that if the Big Beautiful Bill is approved by the Senate and signed into law as is, it could take '9.5 billions of meals a year through SNAP off the table' and boot 'hundreds of thousands of people off Medicaid and into food insecurity.'
Feeding America said that an estimated 15.5 million children and 7.2 million seniors rely on SNAP and Medicaid to 'make ends meet.'
The letter continues: 'Food is a beautiful way humans show care, compassion and love to those around us. It's a fundamental part of the human experience and a basic right we all deserve. Ongoing high grocery costs mean food is out of reach for so many families, and many of our neighbors 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.'
The letter states that the cuts are 'unacceptable and wrong' and that 'it is not how people in this country treat each other when facing hard times.'
Other celebrities who have signed the letter include Zayn Malik, Michelle Williams, Connie Britton, Rosario Dawson, Liev Schreiber, Don Johnson, David Arquette, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth and Liza Colón-Zayas.
The letter concludes: '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.'
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Celebrities urge US Congress against defunding food and medical aid
Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Sheryl Crow are some of the celebrities who have signed an open letter from Feeding America, speaking out against massive cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid baked into Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The stars are urging US Congress not to block funding for food and medical assistance programs that help millions 'live more healthily and with dignity.' The letter from the non-profit organisation, which runs a network of food banks across the US, addresses cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP in Trump's bill, which has already passed the House of Representatives. It is expected to be voted on in the Senate soon as, according to Reuters, Trump wants the bill to be signed into law before the July 4 US public holiday. The House version of the Big Beautiful Bill, which passed in May, directly cuts $128 billion in state funding for SNAP, and could potentially remove another $92 billion that would knock people out of eligibility. Additionally, the nearly $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid could deprive more than 10 million Americans of health insurance. Une publication partagée par Feeding America (@feedingamerica) Feeding America's letter noted that if the Big Beautiful Bill is approved by the Senate and signed into law as is, it could take '9.5 billions of meals a year through SNAP off the table' and boot 'hundreds of thousands of people off Medicaid and into food insecurity.' Feeding America said that an estimated 15.5 million children and 7.2 million seniors rely on SNAP and Medicaid to 'make ends meet.' The letter continues: 'Food is a beautiful way humans show care, compassion and love to those around us. It's a fundamental part of the human experience and a basic right we all deserve. Ongoing high grocery costs mean food is out of reach for so many families, and many of our neighbors 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.' The letter states that the cuts are 'unacceptable and wrong' and that 'it is not how people in this country treat each other when facing hard times.' Other celebrities who have signed the letter include Zayn Malik, Michelle Williams, Connie Britton, Rosario Dawson, Liev Schreiber, Don Johnson, David Arquette, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth and Liza Colón-Zayas. The letter concludes: '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.'
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Sharp dressed man: Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the sartorial switch for NATO
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Between his election to the Ukrainian presidency in 2019 and the Russian full-scale invasion, Zelenskyy dressed much like any other head of state: he was clean-shaven and wore tailored suits, dress shoes, shirts and ties. But after the 2022 invasion, Zelenskyy opted for a sartorial switch, favouring instead sweatshirts, cargo pants and work boots. He has also worn a military-style vyshyvanka — a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt that is part of the country's cultural heritage. The choice of clothes partly reflects the fact that he is Ukraine's commander-in-chief and is also a sign of solidarity with Ukraine's armed forces. "Zelenskyy dresses demonstratively. But the only message he wants to convey with his clothing is: 'In my country, there is a war,'" Ukrainian fashion historian Zoya Zvynyatskivska told The Kyiv Independent newspaper. "Everyone wants to forget. Everyone wants to move on. But he keeps reminding them." 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It was seen again just two days ago, when he was invited to a private meeting and lunch with King Charles III at Windsor Castle. Zelenskyy wore the jacket again for that meeting, but interestingly, it was absent the first time he met the king at Sandringham in March. At that meeting, Zelenskyy chose only to wear a black sweatshirt. High-stakes summit A final reason for Zelenskyy's more formal choice of clothing may be the importance being attributed to this NATO summit. Several media outlets have already called it the most consequential meeting of NATO allies in the alliance's 76-year history. Defence spending, the threat from Russia and Trump's commitment to European security are all seen as hot-button topics this year, and several delegates will be wary of upsetting the famously unpredictable Trump. However, Trump may well go into this summit in a more benign mood than usual. He'll be riding high on the back of what he sees as a successful ceasefire deal ending 12 days of fighting between Iran and Israel and trumpeting that Iran's nuclear facilities have been "completely and totally obliterated." Prior to his arrival in The Hague, Trump shared a series of gushing text messages he'd received from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praising him for his military action against Iran and putting pressure on the alliance's allies to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP. "Mr President, dear Donald, congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, that was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do. It makes us all safer," one of the messages read. Zelenskyy's position at the summit and whether he will be able to secure continued American support for Ukraine remain unclear, but he would certainly be mindful of that February meeting at the White House and be more inclined to dress to impress. Clothes may not make the man, but this time around, they may make all the difference.
