Effective April 1, refugees and asylum seekers in California will no longer qualify for benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, sometimes called food stamps or SNAP. In other states, food assistance for refugees and asylees has already ended. The end of that aid is a direct result of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which cuts $187 billion from SNAP through 2034.
In many cases, these are families who fled unimaginable violence and persecution, welcomed into the safety, freedom and opportunity provided in America.
My story is a refugee story.
For hundreds of years, refugees have arrived in America, ready to contribute to society. But starting from nothing is almost impossible. They require support to rebuild their lives.
I know this firsthand. My story is a refugee story.
I was born barely a year after my parents fled the unimaginable horrors of communist Vietnam. My father lost his first wife and four of his children on their first attempt to escape as boat people following the fall of Saigon in April 1975. He met my mom and five years later, with three young daughters, they found their way to America.
My family found the freedom and democracy that had been ripped away in their homeland, but materially we had almost nothing. In their escape, my parents had no choice but to leave everything behind.
I grew up on SNAP, WIC (Women, Infants and Children) and Medicaid, lived in Section 8 housing and attended public schools. Because of that foundation, I excelled. I served in the Army. I graduated from law school. I opened a business. Today, I represent California’s 45th District in Congress.
Those weren’t handouts. They were the fulfillment of a promise, a sacred agreement between my family, this community and the country we are proud to call home.
Now that promise is being broken.
The human cost of cutting SNAP for refugees will be immediate: hunger, untreated illness and destabilized households. The long-term cost to our communities and our economy will be just as steep.
I grew up on SNAP, WIC and Medicaid, lived in Section 8 housing and attended public schools.
A kid who grew up like I did might have been too hungry to do well in school, their parents might not have had the resources to open their own store, and they might not have had the opportunity to succeed and give back.
These impacts aren’t limited to one child or one family. When refugees have the resources they need to succeed, they open businesses, grow our economy and contribute to our communities. Studies show that every dollar a child receives in SNAP benefits returns $62 in value over their lifetime. They do better in school, earn more in their jobs, contribute more in taxes and live longer.
This is just the beginning of the attack on vulnerable families in the Big Beautiful Bill. Hundreds of thousands of Americans will lose necessary food benefits this year, and by 2027, cuts to Medicaid will rip health care away from millions. The people facing these cuts now are no different from my own family. They have the same hopes, the same dreams and the same ability to succeed when they are given the tools to do so. These cuts won’t just hurt some families. They will hurt all of us. Every dollar in SNAP benefits generates more than $1.50 in economic activity for the broader community. When SNAP recipients have the resources they need, they go to grocery stores and local businesses, and help the neighbors who depend on them. This isn’t just about morality; it’s economics. SNAP is one of the smartest public investments we make, yielding returns for the entire economy, not just for the families who receive it. When families don’t have enough to eat, they necessarily turn to charitable organizations such as food banks. These organizations are essential, but without federal support, they will be stretched too thin to help everyone in need. That’s why I’m fighting so hard in Congress to protect funding for SNAP and ensure that every family has the opportunity to succeed, just like my family. If anyone asks what a refugee kid on SNAP looks like, I say they look like me.
Rep. Derek Tran, a Democrat, represents California’s 45th Congressional District. Serving his first term in Congress, Rep. Tran is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Small Business Committee where he focuses on national security, economic issues, consumer protections, and access to capital for small business owners and entrepreneurs. 
