Maryland Delegation Members Press USDA to Immediately Release Full November SNAP Benefits

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Representatives Johnny Olszewski, April McClain Delaney, Sarah Elfreth, Glenn Ivey, Steny Hoyer, Kweisi Mfume, and Jamie Raskin and U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks (all D-Md.) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins urging the immediate release of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November, highlighting the impact on all Marylanders - and millions of Americans. The letter arrives a day after the President-using his social media account to create more chaos and confusion-threatened to defy court orders and illegally withhold SNAP funding, only to be retracted hours later by the White House.

"Like millions of Americans, Maryland families are feeling the strain of rising food prices of household essentials like beef, coffee, eggs, and certain types of produce. Uncertainty around SNAP benefits during the government shutdown means that more than 680,000 of our most vulnerable constituents-including nearly 270,000 children, 120,000 older adults, and 130,000 Marylanders with disabilities-are now unsure of how they will put food on the table," the lawmakers wrote.

Underscoring the legal requirement for the Administration to continue SNAP, they wrote, "On October 31st, federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled that the Administration is legally required to continue funding SNAP benefits using contingency funds during the government shutdown. These decisions confirm USDA's authority and obligation to act immediately to protect access to food assistance for millions of Americans."

"The USDA's refusal to act before November 1st has resulted in $124 million in SNAP benefits being illegally withheld and likely delayed for Marylanders," the lawmakers continued. "Our constituents who rely on SNAP need resources to provide food for their families immediately. They have turned to state and local services for help, creating an unsustainable strain on our food banks, food pantries, homeless shelters, and community action agencies."

"We cannot play politics with food assistance for our most vulnerable Americans. The courts have spoken clearly: the Administration must use the full amount of available contingency funds to continue SNAP benefits during the shutdown. We also strongly urge the USDA to use its transfer authority under 7 U.S.C. § 2257 to cover the remaining gap in November benefits. To provide anything less than full benefits for SNAP recipients for the month of November is unconscionable. Our offices stand ready to work with you to ensure Marylanders and families across the country continue to receive vital SNAP benefits without further delay," the lawmakers concluded.

Read the letter.

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