July 26, 2019 – Philadelphia – State Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) wrote the U.S. Department of Agriculture Friday to oppose a proposal to end automatic eligibility requirements that could cut Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for about 3.1 million people, including nearly 120,000 Pennsylvanians.
You can issue public comment on the proposed changes by clicking here.
Sen. Hughes issued the following statement after submitting his his public comment to the USDA:
“This proposal is fundamentally immoral and is yet another attack on programs that benefit poor people. Folks across our great nation and in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are struggling to make ends meet, and instead of funding programs that help people with basic necessities such as healthy, fresh food, our federal government is looking to rip away benefits from families in need. The most troubling aspect of this proposal is the impact it would have on school meals, which are a lifeline for children. We should not be punishing people who are struggling at or below the poverty line, especially when we sanction a minimum wage that effectively mandates poverty. I stand with my Democratic colleagues on the federal level in condemning this hateful proposal.”