SIGN OUR LETTER to Congress now telling them to #ProtectSNAP!
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[ [link removed] ]SIGN NOW
Dear Friend,
Last week a bipartisan deal kept the U.S. from the brink of economic
disaster and saved millions of jobs….but there was a price to pay for
that: Further time restrictions and harsh work requirements were passed
for 750,000 SNAP (food stamps) recipients. [ [link removed] ]
Now, with major decisions being made in the coming months regarding the
vital Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) we need to make our
voices heard to Congress: Hands off SNAP!
[1]***SIGN OUR LETTER to Congress now telling them no more cuts to SNAP!
They must protect and invest in this vital program!
Our work in defending SNAP and making sure all people have enough to eat
in this country is far from over. In the coming months Congress will be
reauthorizing the Farm Bill, the piece of legislation that determines
policy on SNAP. With such major changes made to SNAP in the debt ceiling
agreement we need members of Congress to know that our families need SNAP
strengthened and well-funded, NOT rolled back—aka hands off SNAP! We need
to use our voices to make it known that we are unhappy with the changes
already put in place to this vital anti-hunger program and no more cuts,
road blocks, or barriers should be made to this critical food program that
now provides an average of a paltry (but crucially needed) $6 a day to
those in need. Our elected leaders should be making it easier for
struggling families and people to access food, not harder!
[ [link removed] ]***Add your name to our letter calling on Congress to #ProtectSNAP!
Here’s what happened last week: Republicans in Congress demanded harmful
budget cuts and changes to SNAP in order to raise the debt ceiling and
avoid default. [2] The Fiscal Responsibility Act, the debt ceiling
legislation, made some key changes to SNAP:
* Raises the age from 49 to 54 on SNAP “time limits,” meaning people
aged 18-54 will be restricted to only accessing SNAP for 3 months in a
3 year period unless working at least 20 hours a week, part of a work
training program (not college), or part of the exempt groups (listed
below).
* Reduces the number of able-bodied people who can be exempt from work
requirements without children living in the house.
On the plus side, new categories of people exempt from work requirements
were issued including veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and
those aging out of foster care. This is added to the existing list of
people exempt from work requirements: Anyone sharing a household with
children under 18, pregnant women, people medically certified as
physically or mentally unfit for employment (usually this is people
legally defined as “disabled” by our government).
At the end of the day, what this means is nearly 750,000 adults ages 50
through 54 could be newly subject to the expanded work requirement and at
risk of losing their nutrition assistance under this work requirement.
Nearly half of those newly at risk are women. Many of these recipients
have very low incomes, have family caregiving responsibilities, and have
health conditions that could limit their ability to work. [ [link removed] ]
We don’t need any more barriers–time limitations, work requirements,
anything!--to SNAP! Despite the stringent work requirements the
Republicans are trying to push, we know that SNAP is an important support
(not a hindrance) for our economy and for workers who are paid low wages
and for those looking for work. No one can work when they are hungry. SNAP
helps fill the gaps for workers with low and inconsistent pay, and it
helps people afford food for themselves and their families during periods
when they are looking for work. Most SNAP participants who can work do so.
But many of the jobs most common among SNAP participants, such as service
or sales jobs, often pay low wages and don’t offer regular work hours or
benefits like paid sick days and sick leave. This often makes it difficult
for workers to earn sufficient income to provide for their families and
may contribute to volatility due to high job turnover. [ [link removed] ]
[3]This is why we need Congress to strengthen SNAP, not pass anymore
barriers, work requirements, time limitations, or budget cuts to this
life-saving program.
We know SNAP works! By providing monthly benefits to eligible low-income
people to purchase food, SNAP plays a critical role in boosting the
economy; reducing hunger, malnutrition, and poverty; and in improving
family security, child and adult health, employment, and other outcomes.
Nearly two-thirds of SNAP benefits go to families with children.[ [link removed] ]
Because SNAP benefits are so urgently needed by families, they are spent
quickly — 97 percent of benefits are redeemed by the end of the month of
issuance — thereby bolstering local economies. In fact, according to
recent studies, it is estimated that each dollar in federally funded SNAP
benefits during a recession generates between $1.50 and $1.80 in economic
activity. SNAP is targeted to go to the lowest-income people in our
country. [ [link removed] ]
This is all the more reason that we need YOU to help us defend SNAP and
make sure everyone in this country has enough food to eat.
[4]After you add your name to our letter to Congress, forward this email
to your friends and family and make sure they sign our letter as well. We
need to make it known that moms, dads, caregivers, and voters across the
country will not stand by quietly while vital food assistance is slashed.
Thank you for all you do to stand up for our families!
-Elyssa, Hanna, Donna, Kristin, and the whole MomsRising.org &
MamásConPoder Team
P.S. Do you currently use SNAP or have you ever? MomsRising wants to hear
from you! One other very important way we can make sure Congress
understands how important this program is to people across the country is
by sharing our stories with them. [5]Share your SNAP story with us (you
can even do so anonymously).
References:
[1, 3] [6]Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “Debt Ceiling
Agreement’s SNAP Changes Would Increase Hunger and Poverty for Many Older
Low-Income People.” May 31, 2023.
[2] [ [link removed] ]CNN. “Here’s who would have to work for government benefits -and
who wouldn’t-under the debt ceiling package.” June 2, 2023.
[4,5 ] [ [link removed] ]Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “SNAP is and Remains Our
Most Effective Tool to Combat Hunger.” February 14, 2023.
[6] [ [link removed] ]FRAC. “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.”
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