BILL: Should We Fight Hunger? - Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2023 - H.R.3037
Tell your reps to support or oppose this bill
The Bill
H.R.3037 - Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2023
Bill Details
- Sponsored by Rep. Alma S. Adams (D-N.C.) on May 2, 2023
- Committees: House - Agriculture
- House: Not yet voted
- Senate: Not yet voted
- President: Not yet signed
Bill Overview
- Currently, 34 million Americans, including 5 million children, depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to meet their nutritional needs. However, the rising cost of food in America outpaces SNAP benefits each year.
- This bill would improve food security for millions of Americans. The bill increases benefits by roughly 30% and amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require that supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits be calculated using the value of the low-cost food plan.
What's in the Bill
Tackles hunger
- Expands SNAP benefits to prevent hunger across the country.
- Approximately 40% of households that rely on SNAP are still food insecure due to the gap between funding and rising prices.
Raises baseline benefits for SNAP households
- Addresses inadequacies in SNAP by raising the baseline benefit and allocating more funds to those with large medical and housing expenses.
- SNAP benefits are based on the restrictive Thrifty Food Plan, which inadequately calculates benefits, providing a $2.03 per meal. According to a 2021 study by USDA, the average household spent 15% more on food than the Thrifty Food Plan allows for.
- Incorporates the Low-Cost Food Plan into the SNAP formula, which would more accurately estimate how much money working people spend on food.
Eliminates unrealistic barriers
- Authorizes the standard medical deduction in every state permanently for seniors and disabled individuals applying for SNAP benefits at a minimum of $140. Individuals with high expenses could continue to apply for a higher, itemized medical deduction.
- Eliminates the cap on the Excess Shelter Deduction in the SNAP formula to account for the cost of living for recipients in areas with high rent and utilities.
- Eliminates time limits on benefits for Americans struggling to find work.
- Expands benefits for those who live and work in Puerto Rico by offering SNAP benefits as offered in the continental U.S.
What Supporters Are Saying
"Over 40 million Americans depend on SNAP for their meals, even though SNAP benefits are not generous enough to feed a family or prevent child hunger. The Closing the Meal Gap Act will address this issue by strengthening the SNAP program for millions of people, including older Americans, people with disabilities, children, struggling parents, students, unemployed and underemployed people, and veterans. No person should ever go hungry or malnourished in the greatest country in the world."
"We live in the richest nation in the world, and more than 40 million Americans still depend on food assistance. I am proud to lead my Democratic colleagues in introducing the Closing the Meal Gap Act, a bill that enhances SNAP benefits and puts food on the table for those who need it most. Despite this, Republicans in Congress are willing to slash federal spending for this life-saving program and play politics with people's lives. No one in the United States should go hungry, and I will never turn my back on the more than 40 million Americans, including 15 million children, who depend on SNAP."
"After House Republicans shamelessly passed a bill to tear away food assistance from almost 100,000 women, children, and seniors, NOW is the time to protect and expand SNAP food assistance as an anti-hunger lifeline for all. I'm proud to help introduce the Closing the Meal Gap Act to fight back and strengthen SNAP for millions of Americans—from older folks and veterans to disabled folks, struggling parents, students, unemployed and underemployed people — because in country with as many billionaires as we have, hunger is a policy choice. Bold action like this is is how we eradicate it."
What Opponents Are Saying
- Cutting spending on federal food assistance programs is a frequent Republican target during debt negotiations. House Republicans have also long sought to impose work requirements on individuals participating in SNAP.
- Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said:
"If you're going to live off the taxpayers and some kind of SNAP program and government resources, there should be a work requirement."
Tell your reps to support or oppose this bill
-Emma Kansiz
(Photo Credit: Canva)
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This Bill needs to be implemented onto the SNAP Benefits Program just so allocation of funds can properly cover the cost of food for Americans.
Let's keep in mind that many Americans eat out on a regular basis, even while some of them perpetrate going hungry. Most people do not spend their money wisely. They think and make decisions based on their food cravings instead of eating to survive. So, if Americans cannot "get by" with $140-$250 of free money for groceries every month, that's on them. They need to get a job, stop eating out, stop pigging out, etc. It isn't the Federal Government's responsibility to fund each household $500 per month for food.
However, proper allocation of funding for low-income households in the SNAP program is necessary.
Support this now. No one should be hungry in the USA
F Y I
The SNAP Program is run by each state
• requirements differ, and
• implementation differs.
Given the ascendency of myriad prejudices across the country, it should not be state run, or SNAP must be well defined by federal law.
For example, what happens in Red States like Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, and the rest, or in Red communities in Purple and Blue States to qualifying individuals in the Rainbow community: Differently Abled, LGBT+ (especially Trans), and Black, & Brown people? What about migrants?
Who gives guidance to potentially qualifying people?
yes, please support this bill.
I urge you to support H.R.3037 - 118th Congress (2023-2024) as I know you will.
Snap currently doesn't cover enough and hasn't kept up with inflation. Why someone can't buy a rotisserie chicken on it is beyond me. Seems strange hot food is excluded when that could be a staple in households and for homeless.
Being food secure should be a core tenant for children and seniors especially.
83 Democratic co-sponsors after sunsetting of social safety net programs covered by pandemic funding because they were stripped out of the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill because they were "soft" not "hard" infeastructure says it all.
Sunsetting of social safety net programs is what forced millions of families into poverty. Analysis and understanding of a complex legislative environment is need to understand not oversimplification from the right wing media echo chamber.
Debt ceiling negotiations kicked many off social safety net programs (Medicaid, SNAP) that were covered during the pandemic (2020, 2021) but discontinued in 2022 by a Republican House majority which accounts for the majority of the cost of living increases many in the US experienced. This is what "sunsetting" looks like and will happen to many more social safety net programs if it is adopted for budget management as proposed by Rick Scott (R-FL).
"As debt ceiling negotiations come down to the wire with the 1 June deadline looming, some Republican leaders seem determined to use critical safety net programs – specifically, Medicaid and Snap – as a bargaining chip, and millions of America’s most vulnerable families may pay the price."
"Cuts and restrictions to these essential programs, which offer healthcare and food assistance, will cause further hardship to families who are already struggling – and who in many cases can’t afford the basic essentials like food and shelter. The Republican fixation on appending work requirements to these benefits are also ineffective: data shows these policies are not needed and don’t produce any substantial solutions. Some critics say they also force people to find jobs that don’t actually lead to economic mobility, prolonging their need for federal assistance."
"In 2020 and 2021, most households also received Economic Impact Payments (EIP) that were no longer issued in 2022."
https://www.causes.com/comments/105044
https://www.businessinsider.com/mitch-mcconnell-slams-rick-scott-plan-sunset-social-security-medicare-2023-2?amp
https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-american-families-and-workers/economic-impact-payments
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/09/median-household-income.html
https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/24/republican-debt-ceiling-proposals-benefits-loss-medicaid-snap
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3037/cosponsors
It is amazing the ignorance of our politicians. We used to use commodities to feed the less fortunate. That only helped the farmer, the manufacturers, schools, truckers and the government workers suppling the products. Cheese, flour, peanut butter, rice, canned meats, beans, butter, lard, etc. now we use SNAP, allowing folks to purchase food products they like or easier to prepare. Now that helps the farmer, the processing, the packaging, the store stocker, the cashier, the truck drivers, the shipping companies, local vendors, some restaurants. Amazing the ignorance of our elected politicians.
Any idiot knows that a child should eat. Even the poor ones, (I am looking at YOU, Rep. Mike Kelly) and even the ones in group homes.
What are the options? I guess you could let people starve, oh that is what Putin Russia is doing, Weaponized food, water and energy. The Republican Party has no problem with people dying, they have proven that from immigrantion to women have an abortion. The party of hate does care or want to be bothered with children, families or homeless, as long as it's not them.
There is a food program called Produce Rx. The Produce Prescription Program allows medical professionals to prescribe fresh fruits and vegetables to food insecure patients diagnosed with a diet related chronic illness.
They recipients will receive funds monthly to purchase Produce at participating grocery stores.
This program takes a food is medicine approach by integrating produce prescriptions into the health care system.
This shouldn't even be a question. Of course we should flight hunger and poverty in general. I used to work in public welfare (when it was called welfare) and I can tell you that the benefits from ' was insufficient, as was AFDC benefits. O am not opposed to a wk. requirement for able bodied individuals, but some guardrails need to be in place, such as not having young children in the home or if there are then providing daycare, having transportation or if they don't then providing transportation. In actuality to put all of those things in place would probably cost more than it's worth, so then you make exceptions based on the individual's circumstances. My experience is that the majority of people on public assistance did not want to be on it and wanted to find employment so they could earn their own way. It's only the Republicans in Congress who love to feed off the taxpayer's money and then complain about people on public assistance.
We don't need to "fight" hunger...we have PLENTY of food in the USA. What we need to do is fight or VOTE out ignorant politicians who refuse to feed the hungry, AKA Republicans.
"In 2020, almost 14 million households—10.5 percent of the population—did not having enough food to meet their needs." (Center for American Progress)
At the same time that folks are going hungry (including children), "America has more than enough food for everyone to eat. But each year, billions of pounds of perfectly good food go to waste." (Feeding America)
https://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/reduce-food-waste#
A Bill To Improve Food Security For Millions of Americans
Representatives,
We most strongly urge you to support H.R.3037 - 118th Congress (2023-2024)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3037/text
• Currently, 34 million Americans, including 5 million children, depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to meet their nutritional needs.
• The rising cost of food in America outpaces SNAP benefits each year.
• This bill would improve food security for millions of Americans.
• The bill increases benefits by roughly 30% and amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require that supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits be calculated using the value of the low-cost food plan.
We can do this!
We should do this!
Best Regards.