Follow up to SNAP Coalition Meeting, Cash Benefit Slide Deck; Battle Continues to Restore State-Funded SNAP Benefits

Thanks to everyone who attended Tuesday’s SNAP Coalition meeting, and HUGE thanks to Congressman Jim McGovern for attending and sharing with us the battles ahead to protect and defend SNAP.  Below are some of the materials shared in the meeting, brief updates and some quick ACTION steps! Under separate email, we will keep you posted on Summer EBT and other SNAPpy updates! 

Farm Bill Advocacy - Family and Friends from CO, GA, IL and NC Needed!

As many of you know, in May, the House Ag Committee released a harmful Farm Bill proposal that will cut up to $30 Billion in SNAP benefits over a t0 year period (which would be $750 M in cuts for MA alone), and included other harmful proposals. Congressman McGovern and other anti-hunger members of Congress are doing everything they can to protect and defend SNAP - but we also need to be sure all the House Dems are fighting against SNAP cuts. See 5/24/24 statement by Ranking Member David Scott in opposition to the Republican Farm Bill, noting “This partisan farm bill fails that test by pitting farmers against the families they feed…” . 

Unfortunately, as Rep McGovern noted, during the House Ag Committee deliberations, four Ag Committee Dems voted in favor of the harmful Farm Bill including:

• NC Rep Don Davis https://dondavis.house.gov/ 

• IL Rep Eric Sorensen https://sorensen.house.gov/ 

• GA Rep Sanford Bishop https://bishop.house.gov/ 

• CO Rep Yadira Caraveo https://caraveo.house.gov/ 

ACTION STEPS:  First, if you have family or friends in NC, IL, GA or CO - please urge them to reach out to these Members of Congress and share with them their concerns about advancing a harmful Farm Bill that will cut essential nutrition benefits. We appreciate this is an election year, but they need to hear from constituents who care about food security.  Second, please join us in thanking Congressman McGovern for his unwavering advocacy to protect and defend SNAP.  Call, email, tweet to give thanks! https://mcgovern.house.gov/ 

Campaign to RESTORE State-funded SNAP - SHNS and Boston Globe

The House FY24 Supplemental Budget was released and debated within the blink of an eye yesterday. The House released a proposed budget on Tuesday (6/25) with amendments due by 5 PM, and on Wednesday the House essentially rejected the bulk of the 46 amendments filed without debate, That included Amendment #.22 seeking to restore state-funded SNAP to families with kids - filed by Reps Tony Cabral and Judith Garcia. On the good news front, the House Supp Budget does include $5.1M in funding for HIP and $2.1M funding for WIC - huge congrats to the HIP and WIC advocacy to secure that funding!  

On Tuesday 6/25, the State House News Service (SNHS) highlighted the plight of low wage legally present immigrants who lost access to basic food assistance. See WBUR story, Funds run out for revived food benefit for immigrants , Today, the Boston Globe picked up on Rep Cabral’s Herculean efforts to partially restore state SNAP to families with minor children. Attached is a PDF of the story in case you hit the paywall.  

The Feeding Our Neighbors Campaign is hoping the Senate will favorably consider restoration of state SNAP benefits when it takes up the FY24 Supp Budget when they take up the Senate budget - likely week after next. We need your help ASAP! 

ACTION STEPS:  Please reach out to Senate co-sponsors of the Feeding Our Neighbors legislation, Senate Bill 76.  Ask them to urge the Senate President and Senate Ways and Means to restore State-Funded SNAP to immigrant families. If possible, please share stories about the families you work with and how the loss of SNAP has impacted them. And if your org is not a member of the Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition, please join the campaign! https://www.feedingourneighborsma.org/join

Cash Assistance Benefits Powerpoint: 

A huge thanks to my colleague Betsy Gwin for her excellent, clear presentation on the cash assistance benefits available to low income families and individuals in MA including veterans.  Attached is her powerpoint for your reference.  If you have questions about any of the cash assistance benefits mentioned, please feel free to reach out to MLRI or your local Legal Services program.