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Dear Editor:
We’re pleased Congressional leaders and the White House have reached a tentative agreement to avoid default. Failure to do so would be catastrophic for our country as a whole, and particularly so for our neighbors facing food insecurity.
Without this compromise and the likely government shutdown and default, Gleaners and our hunger-relief partners would see an immediate increase above the already pandemic-level need we’re currently experiencing. Short-term fixes such as cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), unemployment for federal government workers, and halts in military pay have led to increases and some general panic during prior shutdowns. Adding default on our national debt would have unimaginable consequences for all of us.
This compromise contains provisions that are less severe than those passed by the House earlier this year. For example, the agreement offers time-limit exemptions for SNAP benefits for extraordinarily vulnerable populations, including veterans, young adults aging out of foster care, and people facing homelessness. We’re thankful for these improvements.
We are concerned, however, regarding SNAP time limit provisions for older adults aged 50 to 54 and the likelihood that this will increase food insecurity within this age group. Withholding food assistance does not foster employment or productivity.
Most SNAP participants already work, or they are seniors, people with a disability, or children. SNAP often helps people when they are between jobs. Past research from Feeding America has found that 74 percent of non-disabled, non-elderly adult SNAP recipients work. The rate is nearly 90 percent for families with children.
Gleaners and our network of agency partners will continue to offer increasing access to highly nutritious foods. We call on Congress and the White House to put people facing hunger first and strengthen federal nutrition programs in the upcoming Farm Bill.
In the United States of America, no one should go hungry.
Fred Glass
President & CEO
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana