Boosted SNAP benefits move forward after back and forth between DC’s mayor and council
More than 145,000 recipients of food assistance benefits in D.C. will be getting even more aid for much of 2024.
In a statement Wednesday night, the director of D.C.’s Department of Human Services said DHS will move forward with the implementation of the temporary SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) increase funded in the “Give SNAP a Raise” bill.
“Due to major budget shortfalls and workload pressures, in November I advised the Mayor that it is in best interest of residents to prioritize sustaining vital human services programs, over administering a new temporary local SNAP supplement,” Laura Zeilinger said in the statement.
“While fiscal and administrative pressures still exist, this evening I advised the Mayor that DHS will make this program work while we attempt to solve ongoing challenges.”
The 10% boost in benefits amounts to about $40 million in funding. The “Give SNAP a Raise” bill passed by the D.C. Council in March will increase benefits between January and September.
In late December, Mayor Muriel Bowser suggested she would refuse to increase funding for SNAP. The D.C. Council responded days later by threatening to sue Bowser.
“Food is important. And there are a lot of folks who struggle to get the food, let alone nutritious food. That’s what these benefits are about,” council Chairman Phil Mendelson said.
Robert White, at-large member of the D.C. Council, called Bowser’s record on assistance programs for those in need “a disturbing pattern.”
In a statement to WTOP, the mayor’s office said Bowser has “funded and implemented a multitude of programs designed to put cash in people’s pockets while also putting them on the road to a good paying job and affordable housing.”
The mayor’s office said Bowser has spoken to council members about alternative, permanent ways to provide food support to those living in the District.
“We hope to continue these conversations, and our goal is for the Council and the Executive to work together on more sustainable food investments. As our budgets tighten, we have a responsibility to first fund and sustain critical housing, shelter, and the cash and food assistance benefits already in place,” the statement read.