NEW YORK – Leaders of civil organizations that promote food security in Puerto Rico led by the Democratic Senator from NY Kirsten Gillibrand demanded this Thursday the full inclusion of Puerto Ricans in the SNAP program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) as part of the negotiations in this year’s Farm Bill 2023 Congress.
With signs that read “End disparity and inequality,” “Puerto Ricans have the right to SNAP,” and “SNAP for Puerto Rico in the 2023 Farm Bill,” those present asked the congressional leaders in charge of discussing the bus piece that subsidizes agricultural and food programs, not to wait five more years to do justice to the island through the nutritional assistance program.
US citizens in Puerto Rico were excluded from SNAP in 1981. Since that change, they receive block funds through the Nutrition Assistance Program (PAN), a structure that deprives them of billions of additional dollars for food. To increase the allocations for Puerto Rico in cases of emergency, as occurred during the pandemic, for example, members of Congress have to legislate for these purposes.
According to the results of a study carried out by the Center for a New Economy (CNE) in the middle of last year, if Puerto Rico transitioned from PAN to SNAP, the funds would increase for that population by 73%, from $2.6 billion between the fiscal year 2023 to $4.5 billion in fiscal year 2031.
Representing more than 200 non-profit organizations, the event included Lillian Rodríguez López, from the “Coalition for Food Security Puerto Rico”; Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation; Mari Jo Laborde, CEO of Banco de Alimentos de PR; Josh Protas, Vice President of Public Policy at MAZON, and Guillermo Mena, Director of Legislation, Policy and Advocacy for the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.
The participants are part of the Coalition for Food Security in Puerto Rico, created in 2018 after the impact of hurricanes Irma and María. The coalition is made up of more than 80 non-profit organizations, businessmen and unions.
The meeting with the media was also attended by the Director of Federal Affairs for Puerto Rico in Washington DC, Luis Dávila Pernas, and Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González.
Gillibrand indicated that the “Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act” seeks that Boricuas on the island, as United States citizens, have the same benefits as residents of the states.
“It was unfair in 1981 and it is unfair now. 40% of households in Puerto Rico suffered from food insufficiency in the first months of the pandemic compared to about 15% of households in the United States. That was before Hurricane Fiona affected crops and roads to distribute food. So it is clear that SNAP is insufficient to meet the needs of Puerto Ricans,” said the Democrat from New York, while noting that the measure has bipartisan and multisectoral support.
“America is the richest country in the world. We cannot allow our own people to go hungry just because of where they live.” He added that one cannot lose sight of the fact that the main beneficiaries of federal food funds are members of vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, the disabled and/or veterans.
The senator also informed that, as part of its legislative efforts, the body to which it belongs is working on the agricultural bill with the provision for Puerto Rico to be included in the final version.
The intention is to have a provision for the transition in both versions of the legislative piece, both in the Chamber and in the Senate. He added that, as part of the “tough battle” they are facing for the inclusion of the island in the program, he will soon participate in a hearing to answer questions on the subject.
Rodríguez López, for his part, stressed that there are many NGOs, individuals, businesses, and other entities that support the change, and that, in July 2022, the federal Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a report that also made echo of the call
“More people are eligible for SNAP in Puerto Rico than those who are eligible for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) right now,” Mena said to highlight the importance of this issue for Hispanic-elected officials in 43 states that adopted a resolution requesting full inclusion of the island in SNAP.
“They see it as an important issue for them, for their states. The resolution was sponsored by members in California, Texas, all over the United States,” he said.
Dávila Pernas added that the economic impact in Puerto Rico would be considerable if the transition occurred.
“The transition to SNAP in Puerto Rico is not only an issue of justice and basic human dignity, but also of economic vitality for the island. By providing access to SNAP, we can lift people out of poverty, create jobs, we can stimulate economic growth, investment in Puerto Rico and in the United States,” argued the executive director.
He also stated that Boricuas pay much more for the food they eat than what Americans pay.
“Do you think that the cost of eggs and meat here is expensive? Try to sponsor a ‘brunch’ or a ‘barbecue’ in Puerto Rico. The prices of retail products in Puerto Rico are 21% higher than in the mainland. And going back to the issue of the flexibility component, SNAP also has flexibility in times of emergencies and natural disasters, as you know happens a lot in Puerto Rico because it is an island in the Caribbean,” he explained.
The legislation is co-sponsored by González; Representatives Darren Soto (D-FL-9), Haley Stevens (D-MI-11) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6); Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ); the Republican delegate from American Samoa, Aumua Amata Coleman; the Republican delegate from Guam, James Moylan; and the also Republican María Salazar (R-FL), among others.
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