Salinas: Bread for the World Summit was both an energizing and faith-filled experience

In light of the reconciliation bill process, but also with an eye to Congress beginning to take up the FY2026 budget deliberations (a separate process), Bread for the World held its Annual Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C., on June 9-11. 

There were about 500 Bread members and supporters from throughout the United States and Puerto Rico at this event, including about 25 from Texas and six of us from the Rio Grande Valley:

* Cathy and Felipe Salinas of McAllen 

* Martha and Manuel Sanchez of McAllen 

* Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the RGV 

* Andrea Maldonado, UTRGV senior political science major, of Brownsville 

While at the Summit, we heard from policy experts and advocates concerned dedicate to ending hunger both in the US and around the world. We also participated in worship and heard from inspired preachers who kept us grounded on our primary motivation: that we advocate for policies to end hunger because our faith as Christians calls us to act. This year, Bread also organized a gathering of about 80 college students, including Andrea, who met with a member of Congress who announced she was introducing a bill to help address the SNAP Gap on college campuses. 

We met with both Congressman Vicente Gonzalez and with Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz, and with a staffer for Senator Ted Cruz and brought to them the following requests:

On the domestic side: 

* Protect SNAP by opposing $290 billion in cuts that could harm families. (Note that this figure keeps changing as the reconciliation bill proceeds.)

* Fully fund, protect, and strengthen WIC and pass the MODERN WIC Act (HR 1464) to make it work better. WIC must be funded annually by Congress.

* Support two new bills recently introduced in the House to help close the “SNAP Gap” on college campuses, by requiring colleges to inform students on financial aid that they might be eligible for SNAP and directing them to where they can learn more about signing up. 

The Rio Grande Valley delegation that attended the 2025 Bread for the World Advocacy Summit are pictured with U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez.

On the international side, the following are at risk of being zeroed out or severely cut back in the FY 2026 budget process. In total, international aid comprises much less than 1% of the total federal budget. 

* Support $165 million in funding for global nutrition programs in FY2026, specifically to ensure or provide breastfeeding as a primary source of nutrition for babies, Ready-to-use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) as a treatment for acute malnutrition, and healthy child development through nutrition supplements and education.

* Support $162 billion in funding for Food for Peace Title II in FY2026, which saves lives around the world by:  delivering emergency food assistance to communities impacted by disasters, conflict, and chronic food insecurity; providing emergency in-kind food donations purchased from American farmers; and, facilitating local food purchases that are culturally accepted and market-based.

* Support $240 million in funding for the McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program in FY2026, which has worked in nearly three dozen countries to insure the following are available or provided: transportation of donated US food commodities; educational instruction, teacher training, and local school infrastructure improvements; accessible safe drinking water at schools; and, strong relationships with local farmers to grow nutritious food in sustainable ways. 

For the record, Rep. Gonzalez voted against, and Rep. De La Cruz voted for, the Reconciliation Bill (aka One Big Beautiful Bill Act) on May 22, 2025. The Senate did the same today, with both Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. John Cornyn voting for their version of the bill. 

Now it goes back to the House where they can either vote on the Senate version without changes and send it to the President for signature, or revise it again before voting, which then sends into conference with the Senate to come up with a final version. 

Felipe Salinas is pictured fourth from the left with the Rev. David Beckmann Lifetime Hunger Champion award at the 2025 Bread for the World Advocacy Summit.

Altogether, the Summit was both an energizing and faith-filled experience, but also sobering in the face of the drastic cuts that are being voted on or seriously considered at this time in our nation’s capital. I believe I speak for all of us that we have returned to the Valley more committed than ever to continue building a constituency of church members, people of other faiths, and citizens in general who care about the call to ensure no one in our community, our nation and around the world goes hungry. While we have advocated with our Members of Congress throughout every step of the reconciliation bill process, we will also continue doing so as future policies and legislation are brought forward that can either help or hurt those who are hungry. This is a continuous process that the tens of thousands of Bread members engage in day in and day out. We are available at any time to meet with any church, organization, or individuals who would like to learn more about Bread for the World and how they can get involved in our efforts here in the Valley. 

On a personal note, I was honored at the Summit to receive the Rev. David Beckmann Lifetime Hunger Champion award in recognition of my nearly 50 years a Bread member and advocate. The award should have really been given to both me and my wife, Cathy, because she has done as much as me, and we have always done this work together. 

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Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Felipe Salinas, a member of and advocate for Bread for the World, and managing partner of Contexto Consulting, LLC. The column appears in the Rio Grande Guardian with the permission of the author.

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