HYANNIS – Attorney General Maura Healey has joined a coalition of 22 state attorneys general and the City of New York requesting that the United States Department of Agriculture suspend rule-making that would cut food assistance for 3.1 million people.
In a letter to the USDA, the coalition urged the agency not to finalize a proposed rule that would take Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from of low-income Americans.
The rule makes it harder to qualify for food benefits and imposes significant new administrative burdens on states.
“This is an incredibly difficult time for people across Massachusetts, including many residents relying on SNAP to help feed their families,” said Healey.
“We cannot allow this cruel proposal to cut millions of people from this critical food assistance program.”
The proposed rule, “Revision of Categorical Eligibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),” would limit families’ access to SNAP, the country’s biggest anti-hunger program.
SNAP is a crucial component of federal and state efforts to help lift people out of poverty.
The USDA’s proposed rule would eliminate a long-standing policy known as “broad-based categorical eligibility.”
This policy allows states to make low-income families automatically eligible for SNAP benefits if they have already qualified to receive certain other types of public assistance.
Through the program, states can also extend SNAP benefits to low-income families that slightly exceed the program’s gross income limit if they also have such things like childcare, housing, or education expenses.
In the letter sent to Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, the multistate coalition said that the USDA must immediately suspend rule making because if the proposed rule is finalized, it would:
- Take food assistance away from 3.1 million people nationwide and 90,000 people in Massachusetts during the pandemic.
- Impair the national response to COVID-19.
- Impose major administrative burdens on states fighting COVID-19.
The coalition also argued that implementing the proposed rule would run counter to guidance from the Office of Management and Budget directing federal agencies to “prioritize all resources to slow the spread of COVID-19.”
They emphasized there is no plausible argument that implementing the proposed rule would help slow the spread of COVID-19 and urged the USDA to focus on supporting families throughout the crisis instead of denying needed assistance.
Healey has fought to protect SNAP benefits for some of Massachusetts residents in the past, most recently in January, joining a lawsuit to protect the SNAP benefits of over 700,000 people across the country.
The letter Healey signed was led by the attorneys general of the District of Columbia and New York State, and also joined by California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, and the Corporation Counsel for the City of New York.
For residents seeking food assistance and other support during this crisis, the Attorney General’s COVID-19 resource page offers information and guidance.
About CapeCod.com NewsCenter
