October 20, 2020 - Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in the case of District of Columbia, et al. v. U.S. Department of Agriculture to block implementation of the Trump Administration’s rule that strips Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits away from millions by subjecting them to time limits on benefit eligibility and weakens states’ ability to target assistance in high-unemployment areas:

“The Courts have resoundingly declared: the Trump Administration’s rule stealing food off the table of over one million struggling Americans is capricious, arbitrary and contrary to the law.  Democrats are proud to have filed two amicus briefs on behalf of the House of Representatives to fight this appalling rule and to help secure this monumental victory for the rule of law. 

“For decades, SNAP has been a lifeline in the fight against hunger and a proven pathway out of poverty for millions of vulnerable children, families, communities of color, the LGBTQ community, veterans and people with disabilities.  Today, as the pandemic continues to rage, CARES benefits expire and up to 17 million children now live in a food-insecure household, protecting SNAP is a matter of life-and-death.  SNAP is also one of the most effective and immediate forms of economic stimulus – injecting $1.79 into the economy for every dollar in benefits and helping lower health care costs by nearly $1,400 per person. 

“House Democrats welcome this timely and critical victory and will continue to fight in Congress and in the Courts for hungry families, including by expanding SNAP in our Heroes Act by increasing the maximum SNAP benefit by 15 percent, nearly doubling the minimum benefit to $30 and strengthening assistance to states and local communities.  Instead of increasing hunger, the Trump Administration should cease their anti-SNAP, anti-child agenda without further delay.”
Source: Speaker Nancy Pelosi