Contacts: Christy Felling, cfelling@strength.org or 202.320.4483
WASHINGTON, DC – Senate Republicans tonight released the HEALS Act, their proposed COVID-19 relief and stimulus package. The proposed package fails to include policies that would strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or extend Pandemic EBT, programs essential to safe-guarding low-income families and children from hunger. The following is a statement from Share Our Strength’s Senior Vice President Lisa Davis:
“We are deeply disappointed that the HEALS Act fails to strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or extend Pandemic EBT, programs which are critical to fighting hunger and supporting economic recovery in our nation. We urge Congressional leaders to include these policies in the final COVID-19 package to help families struggling through this national crisis.
This is a fact: Children and families today are hungry. Numerous studies show that, hunger and hardship are skyrocketing as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage our economy. According to recent research, nearly one in three low-income families with incomes below 250% of poverty report experiencing food insecurity in the past 30 days. That rate is even higher for families of color.
These programs are mission-critical in providing relief to hungry children and their families, especially at a time when other meal options have become scarce or more challenging. Many schools are likely to re-open with virtual learning or a combination of virtual and in-person learning, making meal service more difficult. It also alleviates demand on our nation’s food-banks, many of which report shortages.
The impact of a stronger SNAP combined with the extension of PEBT through the school year is hard to overstate. First, this will allow more vulnerable children to get the nutrition they need to grow up healthy, educated, and strong. Second, in helping families purchase food, they make room in household budgets to pay for other basic necessities, like diapers, medicine and rent.
And third, not only do these programs feed kids; they also feed our economy. Money spent at local grocery stores and markets leads to more jobs, wages and local economic activity in the community. They support local farmers and agriculture. And they provide a quick return on investment; while other stimulus programs put dollars in pockets where they may be saved or spent slowly, the vast majority of families spend their benefits before the month ends.
Congress must not adjourn without strengthening SNAP and extending Pandemic EBT. Making sure families have the resources they need to weather this storm is not just the moral thing to do; it is also the smart choice for the health of our nation.”
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 4 kids could face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.