ATLANTA – State Representatives Sandra G. Scott (D-Rex), Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain) and Kim Schofield (D-Atlanta) recently sent a joint letter to Georgia’s congressional delegation urging immediate action to fully fund three critical federal programs: the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid.
The legislators sent the letter in response to a 42 percent cut in Georgia’s LIHEAP allocation, which dropped from more than $159 million in 2023 to just over $93 million in 2024. Reps. Scott, Davis and Schofield are calling the cut a “humanitarian crisis,” stating that thousands of vulnerable households—especially seniors, veterans and people with disabilities—are now at risk of losing access to heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.
“You cannot preach about freedom and prosperity while turning off the heat in a grandmother’s home,” said Rep. Scott. “Cutting LIHEAP is not fiscal responsibility—it is moral failure.”
“Our rural and urban families alike rely on these programs to survive,” said Rep. Davis. “Cuts will increase hunger, deepen poverty and cost our state more in the long run.”
“SNAP and Medicaid are not entitlements—they are acts of justice and compassion,” said Rep. Schofield. “To cut these programs is to turn our backs on the very people we were elected to serve.”
“We must call for the protection of Medicaid and SNAP,” added Reps. Scott, Davis and Schofield. “Medicaid and SNAP are two federal safety net programs serving Georgians, including more than two million Medicaid recipients, nearly half of all births statewide and the majority of nursing home residents. Furthermore, there are 1.4 million SNAP recipients, over half of whom are children, seniors or individuals with disabilities. Slashing these programs would result in billions lost in Medicaid matching funds, jeopardizing hospitals and thousands of healthcare jobs and leading to increased food insecurity for more than 700,000 households, weakening families and reducing local economic activity— resulting in higher costs for Georgia taxpayers in the long term due to emergency medical services, school performance gaps and social instability. The consequences for Georgians are devastating.”
The letter concludes with a joint call to action:
“We cannot balance the federal budget on the backs of the poor, the elderly or the disabled. We urge our congressional leaders to protect the programs that protect Georgians.”
For more information, please contact Rep. Davis at viola.davis@house.ga.gov.
*Editor’s note: a photo of these legislators is attached.
Representative Sandra Scott represents the citizens of District 76, which includes a portion of Clayton County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2010 and currently serves on the Banks & Banking, Defense & Veterans Affairs, Human Relations & Aging, Insurance and Reapportionment and Redistricting committees.
Representative Viola Davis represents the citizens of District 87, which includes a portion of DeKalb County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 and currently serves on the Defense & Veterans Affairs, Health, Insurance, Natural Resources & Environment and Urban Affairs committees.
Representative Kim Schofield represents the citizens of District 63, which includes a portion of Fulton County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2017 and currently serves as Secretary of the Urban Affairs Committee. She also serves on the Creative Arts & Entertainment, Health, Industry and Labor and Small Business Development committees.
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