Rep. Payne, Jr. Introduces Bill to Help More Lower-Income Families Put Food on the Table            

Washington, D.C. — Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. introduced a bill, H.R. 1765, to allow more low-income families to receive their fair share of Supplemental Nutrition Benefits Program (SNAP) benefits.  The bill, the SNAP Benefits Fairness Act, would remove the arbitrary cap on housing expenses so that families in higher-cost-of-living areas, like New Jersey, receive the proper assistance for food.  Basic housing can be well over 50 percent of a family’s income in urban centers, such as Newark or Jersey City.  However, the program arbitrarily caps excess shelter costs at $624 per month, hampering the positive impact of SNAP.

“The SNAP program is designed to help American families in need and my bill would help low-income families keep food on the table nationwide,” said Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr.  “SNAP benefits are not keeping up with the national economy and hard-working American families are suffering because of it.  Rents increased dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have not come down.  It could cause the families that need it the most to lose their SNAP benefits.  My bill would protect their SNAP benefits so they don’t have to worry about how to pay for their next meal.”

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