Senate Democrats press Biden administration on food insecurity

A dozen Senate Democrats are pressing the Biden administration to take steps to help people facing food insecurity. 

Sen. Ed Markey (Mass.) and 11 other Senate Democrats sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and acting Social Security Administration Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi on Tuesday praising their agencies for their December announcement that they would strengthen their ties to connect benefits from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). 

But the lawmakers said they are contacting the agencies to express concerns about SSI applicants and recipients’ abilities to obtain SNAP benefits. 

“To help alleviate food insecurity, SSA and USDA must create a seamless path to ensuring that SSI recipients and applicants can obtain SNAP benefits, one with minimal administrative burden. SNAP is the nation’s largest anti-hunger program and SNAP benefits translate to fewer people in poverty and a healthier population,” the letter states. 

Low-income individuals, disabled adults and children and those who are at least 65 or blind or are eligible for SSI.

The senators said the U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) and Social Security Administration (SSA) should collaborate to increase the number of states participating in the Combine Application Program, which allows SSI applicants and recipients to complete a simplified application for both SNAP and SSI, ensure that people participating in the combined program have adequate SNAP benefits and make the SNAP screening process easier for SSI recipients in states not participating in the combined program. 

The letter says that more than 30 states do not currently participate in the combined program. 

It adds that the process of applying for SSI benefits on its own can be “daunting,” and any additional administrative burden could stop people from seeking SNAP benefits. 

“No one should go hungry because of confusion about an application, problems with paperwork, or processing wait times,” Markey tweeted. “That’s why I led my colleagues in urging @SSAOutreach and @USDA to make it easier for people applying and getting SSI to get SNAP benefits.” 

The senators requested answers to a series of questions about how USDA and SSA are working to improve access to SNAP for SSI applicants and recipients. 

The questions include how many SNAP applications the SSA and its regional offices received in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and how many SNAP applicants received SSI in each of those years. They also asked what additional measures USDA or SSA are considering to improve SNAP access for SSI recipients and applicants, how the agencies collaborate to share information about benefits with people and if they are considering expanding the combined application program. 

They said they would like to receive answers or a staff briefing by Friday.