More than 170,000 Mainers rely on SNAP, including 50,000 children and 73,000 older adults.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins joined Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and five of her Senate Republican colleagues in cosponsoring the Keep SNAP Funded Act, a bill to ensure that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit payments continue uninterrupted despite the ongoing government shutdown. This legislation comes as several states report pending shortfalls in the SNAP program due to the shutdown.
“No American should face hunger because of partisan brinkmanship in Washington. SNAP is a lifeline for 170,000 Mainers, including 50,000 children and 73,000 older adults, who rely on this critical nutrition assistance,” said Senator Collins. “As Congress works to resolve the needless and reckless government shutdown, passing this legislation to ensure that SNAP payments continue without interruption is a top priority.”
“Needy families in Missouri should not be going hungry because a bunch of politicians in DC can't figure out how to open the government,” said Senator Hawley. “650,000 people in Missouri depend on help when it comes to the price of food and groceries. I don't want to see these folks go without food. I hope everybody will support this legislation.”
The Keep SNAP Funded Act would ensure full funding for the SNAP program during the government shutdown. The bill would appropriate the necessary funding to provide uninterrupted SNAP benefits, retroactive to the start of the shutdown. The complete text of the bill can be read here.
In addition to Senators Collins and Hawley, the bill is cosponsored by Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
Yesterday, Senator Collins sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins calling on the agency to take all possible actions to ensure that SNAP benefit payments continue during the ongoing government shutdown.
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