Bill Text (PDF) | One-Pager (PDF)
Washington (July 20, 2023) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee, and Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) today introduced the Bridging the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Gap Act, legislation to expand SNAP benefits for young adults, families, and Americans with regular medical expenses by breaking down harmful rules that limit eligibility and benefit levels. The legislation would ensure that working students ages 17 to 21 can continue to receive their families’ benefits, and extend existing rules for seniors and people with disabilities so that all SNAP beneficiaries who spend at least $35 a month on health-related expenses can receive higher monthly benefits.
“Nearly one-in-three college students are food insecure. Families across the country are seeing Congress cut their benefits as their medical costs rise. The Bridging the SNAP Gap Act will reverse this trend and help ensure that no student or family falls through the cracks,” said Senator Markey. “Families should be able to put food on the table – this shouldn’t be controversial.”
“For decades, working families have relied on SNAP to help make ends meet and get food on the table. I’m proud to be working with Senator Markey to introduce the Bridging the SNAP Gap Act to strengthen the vital nutritional support that SNAP provides,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “The reauthorization of the Farm Bill provides an excellent opportunity to modernize SNAP and ensure the program works better for students, families, and those with chronic health conditions.”
Specifically, the Bridging the SNAP Gap Act would:
A copy of the legislation can be found HERE. A copy of the one-pager can be found HERE.
Cosponsors in the Senate include Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).
Cosponsors in the House include Representatives Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Danny Davis (IL-07), and Kevin Mullin (CA-15).
The Bridging the SNAP Gap Act is endorsed by Hunger Free America, Bread for the World, Share Our Strength, Alliance to End Hunger, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Project Bread, The Greater Boston Food Bank, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Coalition for a Healthy Greater Worcester, and Worcester Food Bank.
“America is the wealthiest and most agriculturally abundant nation in world history. Yet, according to USDA, 34 million Americans live in homes that can’t afford enough food, and, even among households that do receive SNAP benefits, 23 percent are still food insecure because SNAP benefits are so meager. That’s why the Bridging the SNAP Gap Act – which would increase and extend SNAP allotments for some of the most vulnerable Americans – is so vital. We thank Senator Markey for his leadership on this issue,” said Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America.
“SNAP has provided helpful – and sometimes crucial – assistance to students and those facing medical issues. This legislation provides a commonsense update to SNAP that simply aligns with peoples’ and families’ current situations,” said Eric Mitchell, Executive Director of Alliance to End Hunger.
“As one of the organizations leading on increasing SNAP awareness and enrollment, we know that for too many individuals, the SNAP application process can be onerous, even prohibitive, and can lead to lower levels of enrollment,” said Erin McAleer, President and CEO of Project Bread. “Through our FoodSource Hotline, accepting calls from MA residents statewide, we’ve heard from a caller whose family was over the SNAP household income limit by $11, but they couldn’t afford to work more hours and still balance child care. We have talked to a caller paying for medical care for himself and his aging father in hospice, unable to cover all the bills. We talk to people facing food insecurity every day, and we know that this bill needs to be passed to help more families access the critical nutrition they need.”
“Thousands of low-income households across Massachusetts and the nation struggle daily with paying for food, medicine and other basic living expenses. Bridging the SNAP Gap Act addresses two key barriers in the SNAP program that have long harmed both low-wage working families and young adults. All SNAP households should be allowed to claim out-of-pocket healthcare costs as a deduction, and the part-time jobs of high school students should not cut a family's SNAP benefits,” said Patricia Baker, Senior Benefits Policy Advocate at Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.
In April, Senator Markey led his colleagues in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Social Security Administration urging them to make SNAP more accessible for Americans who are receiving or are eligible for Supplemental Security Income benefits, including low-income elderly and individuals with disabilities. In December 2022, Senator Markey successfully advocated to insert a provision to ensure that victims of “SNAP skimming” would have their benefits repaid by requiring the USDA promulgate regulations to reimburse individuals and families whose SNAP benefits were stolen.
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