According to new figures from the US Census Bureau, 15 percent of all Americans, including one in five children, lived in poverty last year—virtually no improvement from 2011. Many religious leaders warned the numbers will increase if Congress doesn’t protect federal food programs. This week, faith-based activists urged the House of Representatives not to move ahead with a plan that would cut SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps, by $40 billion over the next 10 years.