As President Donald Trump‘s federal budget proposes a 25 percent reduction in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a Florida representative wants to see the opposite happen.
U.S. Representative Al Lawson, a Democrat from the Tallahassee area, announced he wants to see the SNAP program expanded. The program currently assists low-income families, seniors and the disabled purchase food.
“Hunger and food insecurity is a huge problem in our area,” says Lawson. “This bill will provide our elders and grandparents an added benefit that will allow them to keep up with rising healthcare costs without having to worry about buying food. Millions of our seniors face strained budgets and, at times, disability. This legislation eases the burden on seniors and ensures that they are not faced with the difficult decision of choosing between buying food and medicine.”
Lawson has teamed up with U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York to launch a “Let’s Feed America” campaign.
Lawson said he would like to see an expansion that helps more children, college students and seniors. Lawson also wants the program to allow benefits to be available to more people in cases of natural disasters.