Ask Congress to Pass SNAP Expansions as Part of the Next COVID Package

Please email your Senators and Representatives to demand they include three critical expansions to SNAP in the next stimulus package! Boosting SNAP is a win-win for low-income consumers and the economy overall.

Complete the form below, add a personal comment, then click "Send message" under the letter to your Senators and Representative.

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Dear {contact_data~title} {contact_data~lastName}:

I urge you to include three critical expansions of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the next stimulus package. Please:

1. Increase the maximum benefit available to all households by 15 percent (this would provide individuals with an additional $25 per month). Congress provided a similar boost during the Great Recession and it was effective at reducing hunger and poverty, and providing an economic stimulus.

2. Increase the minimum benefit per month from $16 to $30.

3. Suspend implementation of all administrative rules that restrict access for millions of people. Congress should also suspend the three-month time limit for adults with barriers to work not raising minors for as long as the economy is vulnerable.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an economic and hunger emergency, with more Americans than ever before filing for unemployment insurance, millions of children losing access to school meals, and lines spanning for miles at food pantries.

The Congressional Budget Office deems SNAP one of the most effective economic supports during a weak economy, with every $1 in federal SNAP spending generating $1.50 in economy activity. For comparison purposes, the program provides nine times the number of meals served by Feeding America’s network of 200 food banks and 60,000 pantries. While certain nutrition expansions are time- and resource-intensive to roll out, a SNAP benefit increase can be implemented very quickly, within several weeks.

Expanding access to SNAP and increasing benefits (which currently average just $1.40 per person per meal) will help to address rampant hunger, decrease virus transmission by allowing more people to stay home, and provide immediate economic relief.

Congress must quickly pass these crucial provisions as part of the next COVID package.

Sincerely,

{user_data~First} {user_data~Last}
{user_data~City}, {user_data~State}