WASHINGTON—Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and U.S. Representatives John Larson (CT-1), Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Joe Courtney (CT-2), Jim Himes (CT-4), and Jahana Hayes (CT-5), on Friday sent a letter
to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging the department to immediately halt plans to finalize or move forward with regulations that will limit people in Connecticut from accessing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Specifically, the members called on the department to rescind the SNAP Requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) Rule and halt the rulemaking process for the Revision of Categorical Eligibility Rule and the Revision of State Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowances (SUA) Rule.
“We write to urge you to immediately rescind the SNAP Requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD) Rule and halt the rulemaking process for the Revision of Categorical Eligibility Rule and the Revision of State Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowances (SUA) Rule. Your decision to continue to pursue these rules puts hundreds of thousands of people in Connecticut at risk of severe food insecurity during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In the midst of an unprecedented health and economic crisis, your department should not enact changes that make it harder for our constituents to access SNAP,” the members wrote.
The members continued: “In the face of this economic catastrophe that will likely mean millions of Americans facing unemployment and financial hardship through no fault of their own, states will need the flexibility to waive work requirements for months into the future.”
“USDA can no longer rely on their previous economic analysis for how many Americans will lose benefits, as employment numbers change by the days and hours. These cruel SNAP rules should be abandoned immediately in the face of this unprecedented health and economic crisis facing our country,” the members concluded.
Full text of the letter can be viewed here
This press release was made possible by:
