West PDX Today

WASHINGTON, DC - On May 18, 2023, Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1) and Andrea Salinas (OR-6) introduced legislation to make it easier for seniors to access nutritious food and lower their costs for basic needs.

The Senior Hunger Prevention Act will address challenges older adults, grandparent and kinship caregivers, and adults with disabilities experience when trying to navigate federal nutrition assistance programs. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the companion legislation in the Senate.

“Seniors need access to nutritious food so they can live healthy lives,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “Too many seniors and adults with disabilities have challenges accessing existing federal programs - like SNAP - that are intended to support them. Unlike the House Republican’s Default on America Act, our bill will reduce food insecurity and raise the value of SNAP benefits so seniors can live and age with dignity. The Senior Hunger Prevention Act will make it easier to access nutritious food through these programs, which will increase their benefits and lower their food costs.”

“Far too often, older adults are forced to choose between buying food or prescription drugs, or which bills to pay. We have a sacred responsibility to our Nation’s seniors to support them, which means ensuring they have access to healthy, affordable food,” said Senator Bob Casey. “Federal nutrition assistance is a lifeline for many older adults and the Senior Hunger Prevention Act will help secure that lifeline and alleviate the burden felt by too many trying to afford basic necessities.”

“No one in the wealthiest nation on earth should go without access to nutritious food – and that includes our seniors,” said Congresswoman Andrea Salinas. “For too long, older adults and those with disabilities have struggled to equitably access federal nutrition programs, with just two of every five eligible seniors able to lean on key support systems like SNAP. The Senior Hunger Prevention Act bill will help break down some of those barriers to access, ensuring that no one is left behind in House Democrats’ fight to feed America.”

A report from Feeding America found that more than 5 million seniors were food insecure in 2021. three out of five older adults who are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) do not access it, and only 16 percent of the seniors who do receive SNAP use the medical expense deduction to increase the value of their monthly benefit.

"Everyone needs nutritious food to thrive, but millions of seniors have difficulty getting access to the food they need,” said Vince Hall, Chief Government Relations Officer for Feeding America. “Every state is home to seniors who experience food insecurity. Existing federal programs can help relieve the strain and stress of senior hunger but only if enrollment processes are manageable and benefit amounts are adequate. Feeding America supports the Senior Hunger Prevention Act, which would help ensure all eligible individuals can participate in SNAP and other nutrition programs that are proven to relieve hunger and promote long-term health and well-being."

“We commend Congresswoman Bonamici for her steadfast commitment to older adults, along with Congresswoman Salinas and 19 cosponsors for their leadership to introduce the Senior Hunger Prevention Act,” said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “By improving access, lowering barriers, and increasing federal nutrition program benefits, this comprehensive legislation would significantly enhance the health and wellbeing of our nation's most vulnerable older adults. With over 10 million seniors struggling with hunger, this bill is a crucial step towards addressing the urgent and growing issue of senior hunger. We look forward to working with Congress to see it enacted.”

“The Senior Hunger Prevention Act takes important steps to address barriers to food security facing older Americans, including those in the LGBTQ+ community who often face unique and persistent challenges as they grow older,” said Abby J. Leibman, President & CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. “By increasing the minimum monthly SNAP benefit for all program participants and simplifying the application and certification process in nutrition programs, this legislation will ensure that people facing hunger do not fall through the cracks due to administrative or logistical challenges. We are deeply grateful to Congresswoman Bonamici, Congresswoman Salinas, and Senator Casey for their leadership and commitment to ensuring that every person — regardless of circumstance — has the resources to put food on the table.”

The Senior Hunger Prevention Act would:

1. Increase the minimum monthly SNAP benefit for all participants by improving the medical expense deduction;
2. Simplify application and certification processes for eligible individuals in nutrition programs, including SNAP, and extend how long they can be enrolled in programs;
3. Support outreach efforts to enroll more older adults, grandparent and kinship caregivers, and adults with disabilities in nutrition programs;
4. Enable adults with disabilities to participate in additional programs that provide shelf stable, supplemental food and fresh, locally sourced food;
5. Update the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, a program to provide seniors with healthy foods in monthly food boxes, and the Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program;
6. Provide grants to nonprofits, local aging and disability service providers, and related organizations to bring fresh, local food to accessible locations; and,
7. Expand SNAP food delivery options through public-private partnerships and strengthen retail delivery options for older adults and adults with disabilities.

The legislation is endorsed by: Meals on Wheels America, Feeding America, Food Research & Action Center, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, The National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs, ADvancing States, Alliance to End Hunger, The American Public Health Association, Center for Science in the Public Interest, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, National CSFP Association, Oregon Food Bank, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County, Defeat Malnutrition, Feeding Pennsylvania, Generations United, The Gerontological Society of America, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Helping Harvest, H&J Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank, Justice in Aging, Meals on Wheels Association of Georgia, Meals on Wheels California, Meals on Wheels Pennsylvania, The National Association of RSVP Directors, The National Council on Aging, The National Down Syndrome Congress, The Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Philabundance, Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania, Share our Strength, USAging, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, and Westmoreland Food Bank.

The legislation in the House is cosponsored by Representatives Jim McGovern, Jill Tokuda, Jahana Hayes, Julia Brownley, André Carson, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Yvette Clarke, Dwight Evans, Lois Frankel, Raúl Grijalva, Ro Khanna, Seth Magaziner, Jennifer McClellan, Jared Moskowitz, Jerry Nadler, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jimmy Panetta, Mark Pocan, and Mary Gay Scanlon.

A fact sheet about the legislation can be found here, and the text of the legislation can be found here.