DC started last year. Council mandated that the mayor enhance SNAP payments for nine months if the District had a budget surplus. The District gained $38 million last year. Mayor Muriel Bowser doubts that’s the right move.
SNAP Showdown: $38 Million at Stake – The Battle to Safeguard Food Stamp Funds (Photo: Google)
SNAP Advocacy and Legal Threats
Washington, DC. Mayor Muriel Bowser is under fire for not disbursing $38 million in SNAP funds as directed by the D.C. Council. The mayor may use the money for TANF hikes or summer benefits. Council members urge the mayor to comply with the legislation, calling his resistance illegal and irresponsible.
SNAP advocacy groups have threatened legal action, and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb stated in an opinion that money must be delivered as intended.
Protesters stopped Bowser’s New Year’s Day 5K to demand district SNAP increases. The mayor’s possible budget diversion has alarmed residents and activists. SNAP benefits were cut last March after federal pandemic funding expired, affecting 140,000 D.C. residents.
READ ALSO: Google Settlement Brings Windfall: Millions Of Americans To Receive Compensation
SNAP Funding and National Food Insecurity
The city’s high cost of living and food insecurity make SNAP funding allocation urgent. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 44.2 million Americans were food insecure in 2022, up from the year before. More than half of food-insecure households receive government food assistance, and many others use food banks nationwide.
The mayor’s decision’s debate underlines the issues of food hunger and government assistance program distribution.
READ ALSO: Turning The Big Apple Gold: A Vision For Universal ‘High-Opportunity’ NYC Neighborhoods!
