Take Action: Tell Congress to Pass CARES 2 Act
Contact your Congress Member today and urge them to expeditiously pass a fourth Coronavirus relief legislation, or CARES 2 Act, that strengthens the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as families navigate the economic fallout of COVID-19.
Over 1.5 million New Yorkers are currently relying on the SNAP program to help them feed their families. However, with the total benefit amount calculated at approximately $1.76 per meal, the amount that families typically receive does not last for the entire month under normal circumstances, let alone now amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, in the last year the administration has proposed a series of policy changes to SNAP through the federal register that would lead to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who are currently enrolled losing their benefits.
With a 2,580% growth in unemployment claims in New York City in just the past few weeks, and more economic challenges ahead, it is especially critical that Congress makes anti-hunger programs like SNAP a cornerstone of the next Coronavirus relief legislation by:
- Increasing SNAP benefits by 15%
- Increasing the minimum SNAP benefit from $16 to $30 per month
- Delaying and withdrawing harmful policy changes to SNAP that were proposed through the federal register last year, including the proposed changes to SNAP eligibility
- Maintaining these changes to SNAP for the duration of the economic recovery