Washington, D.C. – Colorado U.S Senator Michael Bennet and U.S. Representative Joe Neguse’s proposal to ensure a 15 percent increase per month in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) nutrition assistance has been included in the latest Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) relief package passed by the Senate on Monday.
“As the COVID-19 crisis has so clearly brought to light, we are doing too little to provide a basic safety net for the millions of struggling families across the country,” said Bennet. “We’ve called for a 15 percent SNAP benefits increase since April, and I’m pleased it was included in the bipartisan agreement on additional COVID relief. As the economic fallout from the pandemic continues, this increase in these benefits will provide nutritional assistance to our nation’s most vulnerable families, particularly our children.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed serious deficiencies in our ability to protect the most vulnerable of our society during economic crises, and has left 1 in 3 Coloradans food insecure,” said Neguse. “An increase in SNAP will provide needed nutrition assistance to vulnerable Coloradans and kids, and assist with long term economic stability. Since the onset of the pandemic, I have advocated for increased federal funding in this program to support hungry families and our vulnerable communities. I’m glad to see our proposal incorporated into the relief package and hope to see help in the hands of Coloradans quickly.”
“Too many Colorado families are struggling to put food on the table because of this pandemic. We are relieved to see Congress finally increase SNAP benefits so that more families have the food needed to stay healthy and safe during the next few challenging months,” said Marc Jacobson, CEO of Hunger Free Colorado. “We hope this increased assistance will be continued until our economy is fully recovered. Thank you to Senator Bennet and Representative Neguse for their leadership in securing this crucial support for Colorado families.”
The COVID-19 relief package includes a 15 percent increase in SNAP monthly benefits and assistance for SNAP online Purchasing, providing $5 million for technical support to USDA in expanding the SNAP online purchasing program. The 15 percent increase in SNAP benefits in the bill reflects what Bennet and Neguse proposed in April and have fought to include for the last seven months. Both Bennet and Neguse have been vocal advocates for the program this year.
