By Metro.pr - Hispanic Federation, the Coalition for Food Security and a host of allied organizations urged Congress to end discrimination against Puerto Rico and the territories to provide needed federal nutritional assistance to low-income families. In letters sent to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, advocates called on Congress to take steps to provide equitable funding to the 1.6 million Americans in Puerto Rico who experience food insecurity.
Last month, the Biden administration approved the largest increase to food assistance benefits in the history of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but those benefits did not include Puerto Rico and other territories. Hispanic Federation applauds this change as a step in favor of providing basic nutrition and protecting citizens from food insecurity, but urges Congress and the administration to prioritize benefits equitably for all Americans regardless of where they live.
With the new TFP calculation, the maximum SNAP benefit will now increase by 21 percent (plus inflation), and the average benefit will increase by approximately $1.20 per person per day, according to the USDA. However, residents of Puerto Rico and other territories will not receive the same level of nutritional support due to their exclusion from SNAP benefits. Unlike SNAP, Puerto Rico's block grant is capped at a fixed amount each year and does not automatically increase in times of great need, forcing territorial residents to wait in hunger when emergencies arise and needs become even greater.
"Children will not learn on an empty stomach, and those who live with such food insecurity face consequences for their health, well-being and development. Under the new plan, an additional $463.8 million will be allocated to the Puerto Rico Nutrition Program (NAP), bringing the total block grant to $2.5 billion. While this is good news, it still does not bring nutrition assistance in Puerto Rico up to the same level as nutrition assistance in the 50 states or other territories such as Guam. Puerto Rico's benefits will still be 25 to 30 percent lower than SNAP benefits provided in the continental U.S. It is time to end discrimination against those living and working in U.S. territories by creating a pathway to transition from limited block grants to SNAP. We must end discrimination based on residency and put the interests of children and families first," said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of Hispanic Federation (global).
"It is shameful that we have to continue to defend our basic rights before the federal government. Our children and grandparents are going to bed hungry while Congress and the Biden Administration debate whether the cost of fair treatment for Puerto Ricans is too expensive. The excuses must stop and immediately include Puerto Rico and other excluded territories in the SNAP program with the Closing the Meal Gap Act and pass the Territorial Fairness Act of 2021 to achieve parity in other federal benefit programs, and President Biden must stop defending discrimination against Puerto Ricans in the U.S. Supreme Court," added Charlotte Gossett Navarro, Hispanic Federation's senior director in Puerto Rico.
The USDA uses the "Thrifty Food Plan" (TFP), developed in the 1930s during the Great Depression, to calculate SNAP benefits, which were long thought to be inadequate to meet basic nutritional needs. For nearly 30 years, U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico have been excluded from SNAP and instead have been limited to block grant nutrition assistance programs with limits that exacerbate food insecurity.